


The Timestream Part One

by kasviel



Series: The Timestream (Savior Continuum) [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26139469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kasviel/pseuds/kasviel
Summary: This is the background for my own Final Fantasy VII Alternate Universe. It is based on both Final Fantasy VII and the Final Fantasy VII Remake. As such, it contains spoilers for the entirety of FFVII and also spoils some elements from FF7R. Please do not read if you do not want spoilers for these games and upcoming Remake episodes! This is a story in which Rufus Shinra decides to bend time to his will, in the hopes of creating a continuum where his one true love can finally be safe and happy.
Series: The Timestream (Savior Continuum) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2008870
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

[ ??/??/?? ]

Cloud Strife’s boots squelched rain across the wood floors as he walked down the hospital corridor. He ran a roughened hand through his blond hair, now almost completely white. The rain made his body ache these days, every year making the pain sharper. The call of the Lifestream whispered beneath the hushed patter of the rain. Although his face was hardly lined, he felt very, very old.

The one Cloud was in the hospital to visit was yet older. His blond hair had all gone white, and deeply-etched lines surrounded his eyes and mouth. Still, he was handsome, and his blue eyes shone with undiminished intensity. Cloud could not quite bring himself to mourn this man’s imminent demise but he did lament the fact that without the disease, the other man would have lived far longer. But Rufus Shinra was only one of many whose lives were preemptively aborted by Geostigma; many better people than the last President of Shinra had been taken by the disease.

Cloud expected Rufus’s lifelong henchmen, the Turks, to be surrounding his bedside as always. He was surprised to find Rufus sitting up in bed alone. The nurse that had escorted Cloud to the room left, shutting the door behind him. Cloud approached the bed cautiously, wondering what this former foe wanted. Beside the bed, machines whirred quietly, the only other sound being the heavy splatter of rain on the windows. Gray light shone in, making Rufus’s blue eyes look faded. Their gaze was sharp enough when he turned to Cloud, however. Cloud recognized his small smile, still little more than a smirk despite his grim circumstances. Rufus was holding something in both hands, folded neatly on his lap.

“It has been a while, Cloud,” he said. His voice was still deep and smooth. “You’ve been well.”

It was not a question. Doubtless, Rufus still kept tabs on him through the Turks. Cloud had to allow himself a smile at the man’s unabashed spying. He drew a chair up beside Rufus’s bed and sat on it.

“And you haven’t.”

“No, I haven’t,” Rufus admitted, matter-of-fact. “Well, save for the fact that I am dying.”

“For real this time?”

“Yes, ‘for real’,” Rufus said. “They say that I have only months left. However, I will be gone from this world long before that.”

“I never expected you to quit on life.”

“I haven’t. I am going, but not going to the Lifestream, not just yet,” Rufus said. “Cloud, I asked you here because I wanted to tell you my plans directly. I felt that, after all this time, no one deserved to know more than you. I have already informed the Turks, but no one else knows what I am about to tell you.”

“Okay,” Cloud said hesitantly. “What is it?”

“First, a question,” Rufus said. “Do you know why Sephiroth continued to harass you? Why he kept coming back to _you_ , kept fighting against _you_?”

The mention of that one’s name sent a shiver through Cloud. He felt older than ever as he looked back upon all the many years and fights he had had with Sephiroth. Sephiroth had become nearly a mythological creature to the public by this time. People staged plays about the battle against the “One-Winged Angel”. There were even cults devoted to the fallen would-be god.

“Sephiroth wanted to stop me because I was the only one that could stop _him_ ,” Cloud replied. “Why else?”

“That is not all of it,” Rufus said. “I’ve considered the question for a long time, Cloud. Many times, had he not lured you out and spurred you to fight, he might have gotten farther along in his plans for Jenova’s Reunion. He may even have won against us all eventually. But he could not help himself, he _had_ to attack _you_.”

“I’ve thought about it, too,” Cloud said. “But I decided a long time ago to stop worrying about why Sephiroth ever did anything. He was insane and evil. Nothing else matters.”

“But it matters to me,” Rufus said softly. “I think that I know the answer. I think that on some level, I’ve always known the answer. It was when you defeated him at the Nibel Reactor. He’s been obsessed with you ever since then, is that right?”

“Yeah.”

“As much as he hated the experience, he continued to crave it,” Rufus said. “I remember Sephiroth from my youth in Midgar. When we first met, he was a strange child, but he was still only a child. He was the strongest child that I had ever seen but he was still only a little boy. We were friends for a brief moment in time, do you believe that?”

“Sephiroth having a friend? It’s hard to imagine.”

“But we were, for one perfect summer, good friends,” Rufus said. “Then, I returned to school in Junon. Many things happened as I grew older and our lives drifted apart. Later, when I saw him again, he was cold. So very cold … and so very beautiful. Nothing moved him by the time the Wutai War ended. He was remote and distant. I could never truly get beneath his surface, never truly affect him, so much as I wanted to. He never let me in again.”

Cloud was surprised by Rufus’s loquaciousness. He had never heard the elder man talk about his past or his feelings. He often wondered whether Rufus felt much of anything at all. When Rufus spoke of Sephiroth now, his tone was full of regret and something else that Cloud could scarcely believe.

“What are you saying?”

“I loved him, Cloud,” Rufus said simply. “I have never loved anyone _but_ him. I was taught to be perfect, to only accept perfection from others. From the moment that I saw him, I thought that Sephiroth was perfection, and I wanted him. I wanted him desperately, far too desperately. But I never could reach him. To this day, I regret that I never broke through his surface, never found the boy I loved inside the man we all came to so greatly fear.”

Cloud’s blue eyes were very round as he listened, making him look young again. He never would have expected Rufus Shinra of being capable of love, yet alone loving Sephiroth. How could he confess such things now that Geostigma, the disease born of Sephiroth’s attempt to destroy the Planet, was eating away at him?

“So, I have pondered Sephiroth for all these years,” Rufus went on. “Especially in my latter days, as death takes hold, and I sometimes believe that he comes to torment me in my dreams from the Lifestream. I believe that he comes after you again and again because he both hates and loves you. He hates and loves the conflict itself. You see, I know that deep down, he knows that he is wrong. Such an intelligent man could not be unaware of his wrongness. It was that very wrongness that first perturbed him, do you remember?”

_‘Am I the same as all these monsters?’_

“I couldn’t forget it,” Cloud said. “There was pain in him, back then. So much pain … I remember Zack pitying him. I pitied him, too. It was the pain that broke him.”

“No, _you_ broke him,” Rufus said. “No one had ever done that before. His arrogance, his coldness, don’t you think that he was seeking someone to break through them after all? No one accomplished that until you did. So he hates and loves you for it.”

“Don’t use the present tense,” Cloud said. “He’s gone. He doesn’t hate or love anything anymore.”

“Is he really gone? Will he ever really be gone?” Rufus asked. “Well, I will not be here to see, in any case. I leave that to you.”

“You’re pretty calm about that,” Cloud said. “Aren’t you worried about the Planet? About Sephiroth? If you still love him, don’t you care?”

“I care, but there is nothing more I can do for anyone in this world,” Rufus said. “That is why, I am going to seek another world. I am going to save another world, and I am going to save Sephiroth.”

“Uh … what?”

Rufus unfolded his hands. In his palm was a Materia, but its hue was strange. Rufus held it up and turned it. Cloud stood and looked closer. He stumbled back when he beheld a slit pupil in the Materia’s center, like a cat’s eye. He knew such eyes.

“That’s—”

“This is an eye of Jenova, fused with pure Spirit Energy from the Lifestream,” Rufus said. “It is the culmination of many years of research and work. I have poured everything that I have into creating this one materia.”

“What does it do?” Cloud asked warily.

“Jenova was a creature beyond space and time,” Rufus said. “How else could she have traveled through the cosmos inside her meteor the way a baby travels through the time of its inception to birth inside a womb? The so-called ‘Calamity from the Sky’, she was a being of unfathomable power. So great is her power that she continues to infect the Lifestream and this Planet, as does her progeny, Sephiroth. I do not know what the ultimate outcome will be and I will not be here to see it. But this may give another world a chance. This may give another Sephiroth a chance. I can see no better way to end my life than by giving another world hope—and giving Sephiroth love.”

“After all he’s caused, you would do that?”

“Yes.”

“But how?”

“With this.” Rufus held the Materia up in the gray light, where it gleamed dully. “I call this ‘True Time Materia’. As you know, Time Materia itself does not affect time, only the way the body responds to it: causing us to react in a hastened or slowed manner. Despite its name, Time Materia has nothing to do with the Timestream.”

“Timestream?” Cloud echoed. “Yeah, I remember that the World Regenesis Organization published a paper confirming the existence of a ‘Timestream’ a few years back. The paper claimed that the Timestream runs along the course of the Lifestream but does not contain souls, only strange beings that guard it when necessary. It is the Timestream that ushers the Lifestream along its course, ushers the Lifestream’s souls through the process of birth, life, death, and rebirth.”

“You remember, that’s good,” Rufus said. “Yes, the WRO has been researching the Timestream, a project that I have personally funded. The height of that research was the creation of this True Time Materia, a Materia able to affect the Timestream itself.”

“Wait, no way, you’re not saying—”

“I am going to travel through the Timestream,” Rufus announced. “I will go back to a point in time before all this started, and plant the seeds of change. I will die before they come to fruition, but my self in that world, in that time, will be there to take up my mission. If all goes according to plan, there will be another continuum created, one where all of this never happened. I hope that my self in that time will be able to save Sephiroth and avoid Meteorfall altogether.”

Cloud sank back in his chair with a long exhalation, rubbing his temples. The information was too much, too fast. He worked it all over in his mind as Rufus waited patiently.

“But this continuum won’t change?” he asked. “You can’t go back and change things for us?”

“No, unfortunately,” Rufus said. “I wish that I could take Sephiroth for myself. I wish that I could give you Aerith back, give the world Midgar back, but it is impossible. Once destiny has been written, it is written for all-time in that continuum. I tried to break through and use the Timestream to change this continuum but the guardians of the Timestream, we called them ‘Whispers’, they stopped me. Changing a fate that has already fallen would take an immense amount of power, and it might break the Timestream itself. The Lifestream is already poisoned, what may happen to the universe, to _all_ universes, if the Timestream is also broken?”

“Oh. I see.”

“I am sorry to disappoint you, believe me, that was also my first thought,” Rufus said. “If it is any consolation, think that another world will never have to suffer the way this one has.”

“Another world, huh?” Cloud murmured. “Rufus.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know what will come of all this and I won’t be there to see it, either,” Cloud said. “I can’t say that I care much about some other world, not with all we still have to do to rebuild this one. But if you do go through with this, if you do find a world to save, promise me something.”

“What is it?”

“Protect Aerith,” Cloud said. “Whatever seeds you plant in that other continuum, plant one for her sake. Will you promise me that?”

“Yes. I promise.”

“Thank you.” Cloud stood. “I don’t really know what to say. I hope you can save Sephiroth. Back then, he didn’t deserve everything that happened to him, whatever he may deserve now. It would be good to think about a world existing where he’s happy and Aerith is alive. And Zack. I just don’t know if I can believe anything can bring that about, not even you and this True Time Materia.”

“All I can do is try.”

“Yeah.” Cloud paused at the man’s bedside. “I won’t see you again, will I?”

“I’ve made all my arrangements through the Turks and Reeve,” Rufus said. “I will be leaving this world tonight.”

“You’d really leave behind everything, to die in the past of a world that isn’t yours, just for Sephiroth?”

“Yes.”

Cloud stared at the man, recalling their first meeting, the fight atop the Shinra Building. Rufus was the last President of Shinra, Inc., there would never be another. The era of Shinra would officially end with his departure. Despite all the sins Shinra had committed, Cloud grudgingly admitted that he respected Rufus. After Meteorfall, the man had repented of his legacy. Obviously, that repentance ran deeper than Cloud had ever suspected. Cloud extended his hand. Rufus shook it, his grip surprisingly strong.

“Good luck,” Cloud said, “President Shinra.”

The old title brought a gleam to Rufus’s blue eyes. He smiled a genuinely warm smile. Cloud wondered if perhaps in another world, they may even be friends. This continuum was so full of waste, it was no wonder that Rufus wanted to bring another world some hope of a better future.

“Thank you. And good luck in this world, Cloud Strife.”

Cloud squeezed the man’s hand and then let go. He took one last look at the True Time Materia, so reminiscent of Sephiroth’s eyes. It was a hideous thing but he hoped it could save lives elsewhere. As for himself, he could only continue to rebuild the world he lived in. He nodded to Rufus and then left the hospital room. His last glimpse of Rufus was the ex-President staring into the eye of Jenova, his lips moving slightly. Cloud thought that he had murmured the name, “Sephiroth”, but he could not be sure. He never did see Rufus Shinra again.


	2. Chapter 2

[ 1977 ]

Mrs. Shinra lay in her hospital bed with her newborn son cradled in her arms. The room was awash with the scent of flowers, every available surface filled with bouquets in tribute to the birth of the heir of Shinra. Her husband had come to see his son only once, nodded in approval, and left. If she was lonely, Mrs. Shinra coped with her lot by cooing to her baby how important he was, telling him softly that he would change history, that his legacy was great. She stroked the light blond fuzz of his hair and his tiny, impossibly soft fingers. He would be a greater man than his father, she told herself. He would be a man of strength and beauty, whom all would love or fear. She did not care how they felt about him, so long as he was respected. She was a woman and never to be respected, but her Rufus Shinra would be a prince among all the masses.

“Prince of the Power of Mako,” Mrs. Shinra murmured with a drowsy smile. “You will lead a new era of prosperity for Midgar and the world, Rufus. My boy, my beautiful, perfect boy.”

“He will indeed do that, madam.”

Mrs. Shinra looked up, startled. An orderly had entered, silent as a whisper. It was an elderly man, very thin, strands of white hair peeking out from beneath a cap. He wore a medical mask that covered the bottom half of his face. Something about his blue eyes seemed familiar. He checked the machinery beside her bed, turning his eyes from her gaze.

“Forgive me, but I would like to offer you my humble congratulations,” the orderly said. “It is a beautiful thing, to see hope in the future.”

“Er, thank you. Yes. Yes, it is.”

The man glanced down at the baby in her arms and his eyes moistened. Mrs. Shinra did not inquire as to the cause of his emotions. She had been raised to be aloof with the general public and would not have known how to interact with this old stranger. She hugged baby Rufus more tightly.

“He is perfect,” the old man said, “isn’t he?”

“Yes.” Mrs. Shinra smiled, warming to him. “That is exactly what he is, perfect.”

“And will be raised perfectly, no doubt.”

Was there irony in his tone? No, his eyes were still kind, admiring. Mrs. Shinra brushed the suspicion away. The old orderly came to her bedside, though he kept a respectful distance. His eyes bothered her a little, kind as they were. He seemed to be gazing straight into her soul. His voice was strangely familiar, too, now that she thought on it.

“There is no future for an old man like myself,” the man said. “If I may, I would like to offer you something, for the boy’s future.”

Mrs. Shinra already had all the gifts that she needed, and then some. She doubted anything this old working class man could give her would be of any note. Still, she was too polite to discourage him.

“Yes?”

The old man reached into his shirt and pulled out a surprisingly beautiful pendant on a platinum chain. The pendant was made of the same material, consisting of an intricately-sculpted wing surrounding a gleaming green orb. The orb was designed to spin around in the center of the circle and wing. The only irregularity of it was a single black slit, which gave it the appearance of a cat’s eye marble.

“It is a very rare Materia, though it has no power anymore,” the elderly man said. “Think of it as a good luck charm. You could wear it yourself, madam, and present it to the boy when he is a little older.”

“Why, it’s gorgeous,” Mrs. Shinra purred. “The craftsmanship is divine! Oh, but I could not possibly take this from you. It must be invaluable!”

“Please, I have no more use for it, and no one to give it to,” the man said. “It would honor me to have this become a part of the Shinra legacy.”

Mrs. Shinra reached out and took the necklace. She turned it over in her hands, admiring it. Baby Rufus opened his milky blue eyes blearily. He seemed to stare at the materia and Mrs. Shinra laughed.

“If you insist, but are you certain?” she asked. “It is truly remarkable. Are you certain there is no one that you would like to leave it to, Mister—?”

She was already fastening the chain around her neck. When she looked up, the old orderly was gone. She blinked in surprise, looking all around the room. The flowers by the door were still waving gently, disrupted by the departure. The whole experience felt surreal. Had the man really been there at all? She touched the pendant to ascertain his existence.

“It’s a sign, Rufus,” Mrs. Shinra decided. “You are a very special boy and the people already admire you. Mommy will wear this for you until you’re older. Oh my, you do love looking at it! A special good luck charm for my special boy. Ah, here, let’s get you fed now. My perfect boy.”


	3. Chapter 3

[ 1990 ]

The winged pendant with its strange useless materia was heavy in Rufus Shinra’s hand. He had been gripping it all day, not yet wanting to put it on. The Presidential Suite of the Shinra, Incorporated Headquarters was empty save for the thirteen-year-old boy. He stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out at the rainy, foggy city of Midgar.

_‘It will be your city one day, Rufus. Your legacy. My perfect boy … ’_

Rufus’s grip on the pendant tightened as his mother’s words drifted through his mind. He had done his duty at the funeral, even allowed his father to squeeze his shoulder in a wan pretense of grief, but he had not cried. Since watching his beautiful, perfect mother die, he had not shed a single tear. He wondered whether there was something wrong with himself, her, or the both of them.

Rufus had never felt much of anything for his mother. She was perfect—and little else. Rufus thought that she must have loved him, she said she did, but she always reminded him of a doll. As the years went by, her eyes grew more distant, even as her carefully cultivated perfection bloomed. Rufus had heard the fights between his unfaithful father and his mother, he had heard her cry, but in front of him, she remained perfect. Perhaps the pain had festered inside of her immaculate shell, poisoning her to death.

_‘You will be better than I am, Rufus. You’re stronger, so much stronger, my son. You will be perfect inside and out.’_

Rufus refused to crumble inwardly. To honor her, he would be everything that she wanted him to be, and more. He would be strong in ways that she failed to be. His perfection would not merely be an illusion, and he would accept nothing less from those he allowed into his life.

_‘The man who gave me this pendant was a complete stranger, Rufus. Can you imagine? But he had faith in your future. He knew that you are special, after only laying eyes on you once. Take it now, Rufus, it was always going to be yours. Take it and never be without it. Let it remind you of your destiny.’_

Rufus put the chain around his neck and fastened it, then tucked the necklace beneath his starched white shirt. The platinum was cool against his skin, oddly comforting. He straightened the black jacket of his mourning suit and turned from the windows. A pretty young woman was striding towards him, head bowed respectfully. She also wore a suit of black, her jacket paired with a knee-length skirt. Her glossy black hair was twisted up into a neat bun. Her heels were thick and of a sensible height. She wore only subtle makeup.

“Your father had to go to a meeting,” she said. “He has given you permission to return home.”

Rufus was neither surprised nor disappointed by his father’s abandonment. Although he understood fundamentally why his father could never respect the perfect, porcelain mannequin he had made his wife, Rufus disliked the way he had made her hurt. President Shinra could at least have been discreet about his myriad affairs instead of throwing them in his wife’s face whenever she complained, Rufus reasoned. Mrs. Shinra had given everything she had to be a perfect wife and mother, but the President had never appreciated her at all. In turn, Rufus drew away from his father. Their relationship was not quite strained but it was chilled.

“I’m not going home yet,” Rufus told his attendant. “I’m bored, I need … something to do. Let’s go.”

His attendant, Ms. Ami, nodded. He headed for the elevators, the woman walking two steps behind him, as he preferred. The boy was restless. He used the special elevator that allowed access to all the floors of the building, his personal keycard providing access. Despite his youth, President Shinra believed his son should become familiar with the Shinra Headquarters, and that the employees should grow accustomed to his presence. Rufus was grateful for this, if nothing else.

“I think that I shall go pay Professor Hojo a visit,” Rufus informed Ms. Ami. “I’d like to see what hounds he’s breeding lately.”

Ms. Ami nodded. Rufus knew that she would not challenge him. The young woman had been hired to fulfill both the role of bodyguard and nanny, under the title of ‘caregiver’. At thirteen, Rufus still had two years before he was allowed total independence. At first, like so many other caretakers, Ms. Ami had tried to reign him in. When he finally tired of her scoldings and directives, Rufus had plotted to assert his dominance. This was easily done by bribing a rookie member of the Turks to dig up dirt on the young lady. As it turned out, Ms. Ami had posed for nude photographs for her boyfriend, who was only too happy to sell them to the young Turk. The Turk delivered the pictures to Rufus, who blackmailed Ms. Ami into submission. Rufus was still young enough to be amused at how easily adults could be controlled through sex. To protect her career and reputation, Ms. Ami had agreed to treat him as an equal, and did not trouble him anymore. Rufus was wise enough not to push her too far, given how valuable her subservience was.

The elevator stopped on Floor 66. The laboratory floors always smelled of astringent and Mako. Rufus was informed that Professor Hojo was in the Physical Research Room, a large gymnasium, and headed there. He told Ms. Ami to wait outside while he fetched Hojo.

Rufus barged through the double doors, finding the gym nearly empty. He spotted Hojo in his signature white lab coat on the far side of the room, by the mechanical training dummies.

CRACK

The sound and blur of motion made Rufus stop in his tracks. From seemingly out of nowhere, a flash of silver and black. The metal and plastic training dummy wobbled violently on its stand. Hojo went to the display monitor beside it, grunting and nodding to himself.

“Good, good. Not quite the limit yet, but good.”

Rufus slowly approached the pair, unnoticed. Despite the force of the blow, the svelte silver-haired person was not breathing hard. Their hair was long, falling past the shoulders. Rufus could not tell from behind whether the figure was male or female. They were nearly Rufus’s height, which made Rufus believe they must be of an age.

Suddenly the youth gripped the wooden sword tightly and raised it. In another flash of motion, they struck the training dummy unexpectedly. The crash exploded like a gunshot and pieces of wood went flying everywhere. The dummy’s neck cracked and its heard fell lopsided. The display monitor buzzed an angry error message.

“I think _that_ hit the limit,” the other child said. “Don’t you think so, Professor?”

There was great disdain in the title. Rufus saw the youth’s face in profile now: sharply thin, elegant nose, long silver eyelashes, and a mocking smile on perfectly formed lips. Despite the beauty of the features and length of hair, the childish voice, Rufus suspected the person was in fact a boy. He did not think they were the same age after all; despite the kid’s height, his face was still soft with baby fat.

“Yes, yes, very good, Sephiroth,” muttered Hojo. “But I think that you broke it.”

Rufus felt moisture on his face and touched his cheek. He hissed as his fingers came away bloody, his cheek stinging. The boy, “Sephiroth”, finally noticed him. He turned to face Rufus fully and their eyes met. Rufus’s breath caught in his lungs. The boy’s eyes were the same shade of green as the useless materia in Rufus’s pendant, and they had the exact same vertical line for the pupil, like feline eyes. Rufus wondered who this child could possibly be, he had never seen him before. It was almost eerie to meet him now, today, while wearing that pendant with its strange green materia for the first time.

“Oh. You’re bleeding,” Sephiroth observed dispassionately.

“What? Who is—” Hojo looked around. Upon seeing Rufus, he clucked his tongue angrily at Sephiroth. “Now look what you’ve done! I told you, you have to have restraint! You can’t go around destroying everything!”

“Didn’t you want me to hit the limit?”

Hojo knelt in front of Rufus. He smelled of chemicals and days-old sweat. Rufus had never really liked the Head of Scientific Research and Development. Hojo was polite enough to Rufus and bred guard dogs for the boy, but his impatient manner grated on Rufus’s nerves. Sephiroth did not seem to think much of the man, either. While Hojo removed a medical kit and tended to Rufus’s face, Sephiroth looked down at the man with contempt. Rufus had never seen such scorn on a child’s face before.

“Very sorry, very sorry,” Hojo apologized to Rufus. “It was an accident, yes? Just an accident. You’re sorry, too, aren’t you, Sephiroth?”

“He should have stayed back,” Sephiroth said. “It wasn’t my fault.”

Rufus was beginning to take offense to the boy’s haughty attitude. He lifted his face and turned to Sephiroth again, arms crossed. Sephiroth’s grip on the broken wooden sword’s handle tightened and his green eyes narrowed. For the fraction of a second, fear whispered through Rufus. Further annoyed, Rufus swallowed it down. The Shinra family symbolized power, and as such could never show weakness or fear.

“Do you know who I am?” Rufus asked the silver-haired boy.

“Should I?” scoffed Sephiroth.

“You idiot!” Hojo snapped. “This is Rufus Shinra! The President’s son! Watch your mouth!”

Sephiroth’s grip on the sword handle was so tight that his knuckles went white. Rufus prepared himself for violence, although he doubted whether he could defeat this strange boy. The moment passed soon, and Sephiroth’s shoulders slumped.

“Sorry,” he said briskly. “But Hojo is the one that never locks the doors. No one is supposed to be down here when I’m training.”

Rufus had to admire the way Sephiroth deftly shifted the blame to the Professor while still blaming Rufus for being there at all. He was not one to give ground easily. Rufus had never met anyone who was not impressed by his surname and status. The challenge in those uncanny green eyes both irritated and excited him.

“Why _are_ you here?” Sephiroth asked. “Didn’t your mother just die?”

“Sephiroth!” Hojo exclaimed, his voice a pitch higher. “I said, watch your—”

“That’s right,” Rufus said coolly. “But I wanted to see if Hojo had any new pups. My last one didn’t make it through its training.”

Hojo plastered a bandage to Rufus’s cheek and stood up. Rufus walked straight up to Sephiroth. Hojo went around behind Sephiroth, frowning. The way he hovered over his charge reminded Rufus of how Ms. Ami hovered. In this case, Hojo seemed to be protecting the world from Sephiroth rather than the other way around. Curious.

“You don’t sound very upset,” Sephiroth said uncertainly. He bit his full bottom lip. “I … I would be upset, if I … just lost … my mother.”

Rufus was surprised by the moment of weakness. For the first time, Sephiroth looked fully a child. Whatever his strength, he could not be past ten years old, if that. Rufus decided to take advantage of it.

“People mourn in different ways,” he said. “What else should I do? Break things?”

Rufus went to the training dummy and examined it. If he had not seen Sephiroth land the blow, he never would have believed a child was capable of such damage.

“Shinra equipment is the finest there is,” Rufus said. “As such, it’s quite expensive. You should be more careful with it.”

Sephiroth stared at him, eyes round. With that expression, he looked like a white and gray kitten. It was obvious that he was not used to being challenged.

“He’s right, you know,” Hojo chimed in. “Do you think that you’ll be suffered to go on living in this building if you go on doing whatever you want? Now you’ve upset the President’s own son! What will you do if you’re thrown out? Have you ever considered that?”

Sephiroth’s soft cheeks turned pink and his mouth turned down. _Live here?_ Rufus noted. _This boy lives in the Shinra Building? Why?_

“I’d come back in a few years and join SOLDIER anyway,” Sephiroth said callously. “You’re the one that needs me here for all your stupid tests, Hojo.”

Rufus could tell that Sephiroth had decided to ignore him. Despite Hojo’s scolding, it was evident that Sephiroth neither feared nor respected him. If Hojo was indeed the one raising Sephiroth, he had clearly failed at instilling discipline.

“You’re acting like a child,” Hojo told the boy. “And in front of the President’s son, too!”

“He’s a child, too,” Sephiroth pointed out.

“Not just any child.”

Rufus walked back to Sephiroth, very closely now. Sephiroth lifted his face to him defiantly. Rufus took him by the front of his black shirt. Despite the effort it had taken to destroy the dummy, Sephiroth’s skin was free of sweat. Rufus could see all the varying flecks of green hues in the boy’s cat-like green eyes. Silky wisps of silver hair framed the young face. _Perfect,_ Rufus marveled. _He is perfectly beautiful._

“So, you are a ward of Shinra, Inc.?”

Sephiroth gritted his teeth but admitted, “Yes.”

“Well, ****I**** am Shinra,” Rufus told him. “Everything and everyone in this building will one day belong to me. So have some respect—for the property and for ****me****.”

Sephiroth’s blush deepened as outrage warred with embarrassment. He licked his bottom lip, biting it again. Seeing the arrogant boy taken down a notch gave Rufus a strange feeling of pleasure, one he had never experienced before. Now he understood why his father relished berating his employees.

Sephiroth hit Rufus’s hand off with a small “tch”. Hojo hovered more closely, hands twitching. He looked ready to grab the boy if violence erupted. If Sephiroth seriously went after Rufus, Rufus doubted Hojo’s efforts would make any difference.

“Sephiroth,” Hojo warned.

“He won’t do anything,” Rufus said coolly. “He knows that he can’t.”

Sephiroth turned on him with lightning speed. This time, he took Rufus by the jacket, and slammed him against the nearest wall. The back of Rufus’s head hit the wall painfully hard and the air was knocked out of his lungs. Instinctively, his hands grasped Sephiroth’s, trying to pry them off. Sephiroth’s skin was cool to the touch, very smooth.

“Sephiroth!” Hojo shrilled. “Enough!”

Hojo tried to pull Sephiroth away but could not budge him. _His strength is incredible,_ Rufus thought. _How old is he? To be this strong? Is this kid even human? Those eyes … they look just like my pendant’s materia …_

“I could kill you as easily as I broke that dummy,” Sephiroth said, “no matter whose son you are.”

“Do that and you’ll never be in SOLDIER.”

“Hmph.”

Sephiroth released Rufus and shook Hojo off. He shook his hair back over his shoulder and exhaled through his nose. The emotion drained from his face as quickly as a candle being snuffed out. His self-control was imperfect but far above average for a child. Rufus almost regretted the confrontation’s abrupt end.

“You’re both betting a lot on my wanting to be in SOLDIER,” Sephiroth said. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll join this new group. What was it called? AVALANCHE?”

With that, the moody boy stormed out of the gymnasium. Rufus and Hojo stood staring after him. Hojo made to follow but Rufus stopped him with a hand on his sleeve. Hojo barely restrained his impatience. _No wonder Sephiroth hasn’t learned self-control yet,_ Rufus thought.

“Who is that child?” Rufus asked. “Does he live here, in your laboratory?”

“That child is Sephiroth.” Hojo paused for a long time, staring into space. “He is … special. Yes. Very, very special. He is an orphan that I … took an interest in.”

“An orphan? But he mentioned a mother?”

“Died after birthing him,” Hojo said. “She was quite the … specimen … herself. Then there is the other one. _That_ umbilical cord never seems to have been broken.”

Rufus could make nothing of Hojo’s rambling other than deciding that the Professor was most definitely not normal.

“Sephiroth is an amazing specimen, totally unmatched,” Hojo smiled. “He is currently training to be in SOLDIER. He’ll be ready soon. Yes, yes, sooner than we think. It is almost his time.”

“So young?” Rufus asked. “He’s tall but he can’t be any older than I am.”

“He’s younger, I should think,” Hojo said. “By … oh, how old are you? What year is it again?”

Rufus told him.

“Yes, yes,” Hojo muttered. “Hmm, so, Sephiroth is three years younger than yourself, young Mr. Shinra. Sephiroth is already ten-years-old. Ten years! Already! Time does fly. Funny thing, time … ”

Hojo wandered off, muttering to himself. Rufus let him go but remained in the gym, lost in thought. _Only ten years old!_ Rufus marveled. _He’s a little boy. How can a child of ten be so strong? He lives in the laboratory … is he an experiment? Another one of Hojo’s projects? Why have I never seen him before? Why has no one told me about him? Where did he come from?_

Rufus removed the necklace from beneath his shirt and slipped it over his shirt and tie. He spun the materia around, noting the vertical black line. The color was the exact same shade as Sephiroth’s eyes. The thing could have been plucked from the child’s skull. Rufus shivered and put the pendant beneath his shirt again. The coincidence of meeting Sephiroth after putting the necklace on was strange beyond belief. He began to wonder about the mysterious old man that had given his mother the necklace. Where had he gotten it from? Why did the materia do nothing? What kind of materia _was_ it?

Rufus left the gym, rejoining Ms. Ami outside. Without a word to her, he headed for the executive elevator again. She followed silently. In the elevator, he hit the button for the 62nd floor. Ms. Ami knew enough to leave the boy to his thoughts.

In the Corporate Archives, Rufus found only frustration. There were no records of Sephiroth, physical or digital. If there was any information concerning the boy at Shinra, it had to be kept exclusively by Hojo on the lab’s servers or in their physical archives. Worse, there were no records of birth for Sephiroth. He lived in Midgar. He was ten years old. It was impossible that no record acknowledged his existence at all. In despair, Rufus turned to his caretaker.

“You did your internship in these Archives,” Rufus said. “Do you know who Sephiroth is?”

“Sephiroth?” Ms. Ami asked. “I’ve never heard that name before.”

“Surely you saw him leaving the gym before me,” Rufus said. “A silver-haired boy? Green eyes?”

“Yes, I saw him, and Professor Hojo went after him,” Ms. Ami said. “Come to think, my friends that work in the lab sometimes spoke of a silver-haired little boy. But they just assumed he was one of Hojo’s patients. Hojo sometimes takes an interest in those with genetic irregularities. He isn’t?”

“No, he isn’t a patient,” Rufus said. “This boy, Sephiroth, lives in the lab. He’s training to be in SOLDIER, despite his age. Hojo claims he’s ‘special’ and an orphan. I can’t find any more information than that. There isn’t even a record of birth.”

Rufus drummed his fingers on the table, documents sprawled out across it. Ms. Ami did not comment. If she felt any distaste for the idea of a child being indoctrinated into SOLDIER, she hid it.

Rufus left the table and headed for the Mayor of Midgar’s office, which was also located in the Corporate Archives. Shinra had usurped the local government’s power by now, and Mayor Domino was relegated to the role of archivist in all but name. Rufus did not like to deal with the embittered middle-aged man but he was desperate to find out more about Sephiroth.

Mayor Domino was a spindly, balding man whose beard was going to gray. He was curt but not impolite. So much as he hated Shinra, he knew better than to make an enemy of the company. Rufus explained his purpose and Domino cocked his head thoughtfully.

“Sephiroth? Well, yes, of course I know of him,” he said. “Professor Gast was one of my friends, you see. A good man, Gast. No wonder he was run out of this place.”

Rufus ignored the jab.

“I remember that both Gast and that odious man Hojo were worked up about something about thirteen years ago,” Domino said. “That was in ‘77. They all went to work somewhere else for a few years. When they got back, they had a baby with them. Strangest baby I had ever seen—Gast showed me a picture—all silver hair and green cat eyes. Unnatural thing. But Gast was happy. Doted on the boy until he left. Don’t know what happened to Gast after that. They say he died somehow.”

“When did they get back? Ten years ago?”

“Yes, that’s about right,” Domino said. “I know Hojo still has the baby—well, he’s a boy now. Strange child. I see them sometimes in the building.”

Domino gestured to the wall of security monitors behind his desk.

“But Hojo mostly keeps the boy in the lab, and those cameras run on their own server,” Domino added. “I don’t know why he’s raising him or what he’s doing with him. I don’t think I want to know. Child experiments and all this research. What’s it all for? I thought this was only supposed to be a power company.”

Rufus left the man to his grumbling. Back in the Corporate Archives, Rufus gathered every file he could find concerning Professors Gast and Hojo. Without being told, Ms. Ami left at some point. She returned soon with food for them both. Rufus ate while reading. The hours slipped away.

“Professor Gast was a biologist,” Rufus began to sum up his thoughts. “He published countless papers, articles, and books concerning the Cetra, the original people who settled this Planet and are now known as the ‘Ancients’. Before Hojo, he was the Head of Scientific Research and Development. By all accounts, he was well-liked, kind, the complete opposite of Hojo. He disappeared six years ago, when Sephiroth was four years old. I can’t find any information concerning why or what they were working on when Sephiroth was born. Born? Or created?”

“What do you mean, ‘created’?” Ms. Ami blurted out. “Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine, Ms. Ami,” Rufus waved off her concern. “I never forbade you from speaking, you know. What I mean is, is Sephiroth really an orphan that just happened to turn out like that? Or was he enhanced, somehow?”

“The way the SOLDIER members are enhanced, you mean?” Ms. Ami asked. “But he was only a baby. Would they actually do that to a baby?”

“Who knows?” Rufus said. “But you heard the so-called ‘Mayor’ in there: Sephiroth was unnatural from the start. Whatever made him the way he is, it happened when he was a baby or perhaps before he was even born.”

“That’s terrible,” Ms. Ami said softly. “To experiment on a baby … it’s terrible.”

“This is all just speculation, I can’t find more data,” Rufus said. “I doubt Hojo would tell me anything even if I asked. I don’t even know what my father knows, but I doubt he would tell me if it is that highly confidential. I don’t think he quite trusts me with anything too incriminating yet.”

“What will you do?”

“Drop it, for now,” Rufus said. “There’s nothing else I can do. I’ll be returning to school in Junon after the summer, besides. Until then, I think that I will … watch … this Sephiroth.”

“You’re quite taken by him, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“I only mean, you seem to like him,” Ms. Ami said with a smile. “It’s good for you to make friends with someone your age.”

“He is not my age, he’s only a little kid,” Rufus said. “But yes, he does fascinate me. I’ve never met anyone like him. The other kids in my school are simple-minded and foolish. They befriend me for my status while sniping jealously about me behind my back. They are their parents in miniature: predictable and tedious. But not Sephiroth. He was not impressed at all by my name or my status.”

“And you didn’t mind?”

“Well, I had to put him in place with a scolding, but truth be told, I was impressed,” Rufus said. “It was a fun challenge.”

Ms. Ami did not let her smile falter, although she thought, _That doesn’t sound very wholesome._ Still, socialization of any kind might be good for Rufus. While he used the “foolish” children at his school as need be, she knew the boy had no real friends. His ruthless nature and isolation were beginning to make her think he was a psychopath. She hoped this friendship or whatever it was with Sephiroth would soften the boy. She often forgot that he was only a child of thirteen.

“Well, that is all I am going to get from here,” Rufus said. “It’s gotten late. We should return home.”

Ms. Ami called for the car to meet them outside. They headed for the elevators. She knew that she should hate Rufus Shinra for the way he had blackmailed her, but she did not. Her ex-boyfriend, who had sold her most intimate photos, she hated. Rufus was the product of his family, which she knew by now had been dysfunctional and distant. He had been forced to grow up too fast, and given too much power too early on. Was that what he saw in Sephiroth? Another child robbed of childhood? Perhaps they could bond over their similar situations. Perhaps through each other, they could find their way back to childhood before it was lost forever. She hoped so, for the boys’ sake, and for the sake of Shinra’s future.

Meanwhile, in his room on the 66nd floor laboratory, Sephiroth brooded. The confrontation with Rufus Shinra had shaken him. He knew no other children, had certainly never been challenged by one before. Even the adults around him tended to give him a wide berth. Why hadn’t Rufus Shinra been afraid of him? They could not be so far apart in age, yet Rufus had dared to treat him like a naughty child. Every time he thought of it, Sephiroth found himself growing frustrated and abashed.

Hojo noticed Sephiroth’s mood when he brought him his tray of food for dinner. He sat down on the chair across from Sephiroth’s bed, watching him. Sephiroth glowered at him.

“What is it?” Hojo asked. “I know that you prefer to eat alone but I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong.”

“That punk Rufus Shinra,” Sephiroth began. The anger faded and he lowered his gaze. “He isn’t going to really throw me out of the Shinra Building, is he?”

“I doubt it,” Hojo said. “The company has invested a lot of time and money into you, after all. You won’t be thrown out over a little disagreement with him. Just behave yourself from now on, all right?”

“Yes,” Sephiroth muttered. “I know.”

“So, you really don’t want to be kicked out, do you?”

“Where else would I go?” Sephiroth asked. “I don’t … I don’t have anyone. E-everyone that cared about me is … is dead.”

Sephiroth scrubbed a hand over his eyes, bowing his head over his food. Hojo reached out for just a moment before pulling his hand back. He was a scientist before anything, he reminded himself. He had to remain neutral and unbiased.

“Why didn’t Rufus care? About his mother, I mean?” Sephiroth asked. “He wasn’t sad at all.”

“Wasn’t he? I don’t know,” Hojo said. “Perhaps that’s how he deals with grief. Or perhaps he didn’t care. It has nothing to do with us.”

“I thought that families were always happy,” Sephiroth said. “Don’t the Shinras love each other?”

“Who can say?”

“You’re not curious?”

“I am only curious about the scientific, and I recommend you limit your curiosity, too,” Hojo said. “It won’t do for you to waste your time being curious about illogical, irrational things like human emotions. You’re better than that.”

“Yes. I’m going to be in SOLDIER.”

“That’s right.” Hojo stood and briefly touched the top of Sephiroth’s head. “Now eat and go to bed.”

“Still, I wonder.”

Hojo stopped at the door, glanced back. Sephiroth was pushing food around his plate with his fork. Hojo wished the boy would outgrow his childish habits already. He was about to tell him so when Sephiroth spoke again, hardly above a whisper.

“I wonder if my mother would have loved me?”

There was a beat of silence as Hojo looked away.

“How would I know?”

Hojo saw Sephiroth’s shoulders twitch and left in a hurry. It hurt the boy now but someday he would evolve beyond petty human pain. Someday, Sephiroth would be too strong for anything or anyone to hurt him. Hojo no longer needed to be a father to his offspring, he figured, because he had already blessed him with the greatest gift a father could give his son: strength. By the time Sephiroth realized the truth, he would be beyond even gratitude, but Hojo did not mind. It was enough to observe the miracle of Sephiroth’s destiny unfold—scientifically, of course.


	4. Chapter 4

Sephiroth awoke in a foul mood. He only picked at his breakfast, brought by one of the scientists whose name he did not care enough to remember. He dressed in his usual uniform of black sweatshirt and sweatpants, then went to the Physical Research Room. He never used the training centers or gyms on the other floors, preferring solitude. As the lab gym was only used for tests and assessments, it was normally empty. Sometimes Sephiroth suspected the facility had been built specifically for him, but he knew that was ridiculous.

Sephiroth was galled at the memory of Rufus telling him to be careful of the equipment. Nonetheless, he exercised restraint when he took on another, unbroken training dummy. It was true, he _had_ gotten carried away, wanting to shut the annoying Hojo up. It was a stupid thing to do. If he had been using the real sword that he kept begging for, the dummy would have been in pieces. He would never prove that he was ready for a real blade if he kept doing juvenile things like that. He knew that he would have to keep a better handle on his temper from now on.

So Sephiroth practiced with one of the wooden swords, tireless and determined. He practiced balancing his strength to just the right level. His lank hair flew around him as he moved but he paid it no mind. An untold amount of time passed.

Then—

“That was beautiful.”

Sephiroth stood up from where he had landed after jumping at the dummy. Rufus Shinra stood at a safe distance, watching him. How long had he been there? Why had Hojo allowed him inside? Sephiroth took hold of his whirlwind of emotions, telling himself not to let his temper flare up again.

“It isn’t about beauty,” he said coolly. “It’s about power.”

“Power can be beautiful.”

Rufus walked closer. Without the suit of mourning black, he looked starkly different. His blond hair fell over his forehead in a fringe, giving him a more youthful look. He wore a sleeveless white shirt and loose white cargo shorts accented with many straps and buckles. Only his leather boots were black, heavy enough to be industrial but stylish. He seemed to be in a pleasant mood but Sephiroth did not trust the bright interest in those otherwise cold blue eyes.

“Midgar is the most powerful city in the world,” Rufus said, “but do you think so many people would flock here if it were not also beautiful?”

“Is it beautiful?”

“Don’t you think so?”

“I don’t know,” Sephiroth mumbled. “I don’t go outside much.”

“Hm. That should change. Come with me.”

“I’m training.”

“You’re alone.”

“My formal lessons aren’t until tomorrow, but this equipment records my data,” Sephiroth said. “It still counts.”

Rufus reached out and Sephiroth tensed. He was not offering violence, however. He took Sephiroth’s free hand in his own. Compared to Sephiroth’s naturally chilled body temperature, Rufus’s skin was warm. Sephiroth felt a stab of emotion as he recalled Professor Gast taking him by the hand when he was very young. The wooden sword slipped from his hand and clattered on the gym’s wood floor. Not knowing what to do or say, Sephiroth allowed Rufus to lead him out. Outside the gym, Rufus paused and looked the boy over.

“Heh. No, not like that. You don’t seem to ever sweat, but you should change into street clothes.”

“Into what?”

“Street clothes.” Rufus paused. “You do own normal clothes, don’t you?”

“These are normal.”

Rufus cocked his head. Sephiroth snatched his hand away, scowling. He was about to make his escape when Rufus put a hand on his shoulder.

“Never mind,” he said. “I suppose we can buy you something in the city. Come on.”

“Wait! I’m not going anywhere with you! I have—I have things to do!”

“They can wait.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you!”

“Oh yes you are.”

Rufus took Sephiroth’s hand again, tightly this time. He was so naturally commanding that Sephiroth hesitated. No adult had ever been this demanding with Sephiroth before. He did not know how to respond to the imperious other boy.

“If you want to continue living here and join SOLDIER, you’ll do as I say.”

“Where is Hojo?” Sephiroth demanded. “Did he approve of this?”

“Of course,” Rufus said. “He knows that he can’t deny me. I ****am**** Shinra.”

Rufus tipped Sephiroth’s face up to his own by the chin. Sephiroth’s mouth tightened into a thin, sullen line. Sephiroth did not like how unfathomable Rufus’s blue gaze was. He was normally able to perceive what people were thinking, more or less. It unnerved him to be shut out of Rufus’s mind.

“Besides, do you really want to rely on people like Hojo to protect you?”

Sephiroth scowled and pushed away from Rufus, snatching his hand back.

“I don’t need to be protected by Hojo or anyone else.”

Rufus ruffled his hair and took him by the hand again. Giving up, Sephiroth let the older boy lead him on. Truth be told, he was curious to see what Rufus wanted. His life had been a constant, dull routine since the loss of Professor Gast. Perhaps a little disruption would be exciting.

Rufus was pleased by Sephiroth’s acquiescence. He was reminded of the training sessions he watched the military grade canines Hojo bred for him go through: so much strength to be tamed. But Sephiroth was no dog. Rufus was beginning to see that the boy was emotionally stunted from his isolation, but not a psychopath. Rufus himself had once been labeled a sociopath by a psychologist that was no longer allowed to practice or live in Midgar. Brilliant people, Rufus knew, were often misunderstood.

 _I’m not a sociopath, but what_ do _I feel?_

Rufus seriously considered the question as he led Sephiroth out of the Shinra Building. Occasionally, an exceptional peer at school would spark Rufus’s interest. He would befriend them just long enough to see beneath the surface, then grow bored and forget about them. Sephiroth’s mysterious past was certainly a factor, a great puzzle to solve, but was that all there was to it? No, Rufus knew, he felt more for the boy than mere curiosity. He was impressed by him, certainly. But there was something else, something he failed to define by the time they had left Shinra HQ.

Ms. Ami was waiting outside the building with a glossy black car. She opened the door for the boys, in a cheerful mood. Rufus ushered Sephiroth in and climbed in after him. Sephiroth sat as far apart from Rufus as possible, turning his face to the window.

“Where to?”

“Ah, well, first, I think that we should pay a visit to m.Ako.”

“Is that a Mako Energy electronics store?” Sephiroth asked. “Why?”

“No, no, it’s a fashion boutique,” Rufus explained. “Most of the oldest businesses in Midgar take their names from Mako Energy or Shinra. It’s become something of the city’s overall brand. You need something else to wear. I can’t be seen with someone in sweats.”

“Why not?”

“Because people talk,” Rufus said. “The heir of Shinra and all those around him must always appear to be perfect. If you become a hero of SOLDIER someday, you’ll have to live up to such an image, too.”

“An image?” Sephiroth looked at his reflection in the car window. “I don’t understand. I hear people talk about me sometimes. They say that I look scary. Isn’t that what a SOLDIER should look like?”

Rufus felt a little sorry for the kid. He recalled what Mayor Domino had said, that Sephiroth had been unnatural since infancy. Even Rufus had felt a twinge of fright when Sephiroth had glared at him the other day.

“Fear is useful, certainly,” Rufus said. “But there is nothing more frightening to common people than perfection. Think about it. Perfection is being untouchable, unbeatable, unbreakable. It’s unfathomable to most people, although they fool themselves into thinking they have a chance of obtaining it through their petty struggles and ambitions. But we could be truly perfect, you and I.”

Sephiroth turned to look at him, silvery eyebrows raised. The sunlight shining in through the car windows made his eyes seem to glow. He looked so ethereal that Rufus could not help reaching out to touch him. He ruffled his wispy light hair until Sephiroth pushed his hand away.

“Stop it. I don’t like it.”

Rufus sat back, arms crossed. Sephiroth turned back to the window, staring out at the city. _He tensed when I reached out to him earlier, too. He keeps hitting my hand away._

“You’re a cute child—”

“I’m not a child! I’m almost eleven!”

“—doesn’t anyone show you affection?”

Sephiroth said nothing. Rufus could discern the answer from his silence. _He’s only ten,_ he thought. _They really ignore him that completely? Not a pat on the head or a pinch on the cheek? Are they that unnerved by him?_

“I’ve been hit in training,” Sephiroth said. He gave Rufus a fiercely defiant look. “It doesn’t bother me. Oh and Hojo does all his stupid tests. That’s annoying but I’m used to it by now.”

Rufus sobered. _He’s only ever been touched when it’s uncomfortable or painful._ He caught Ms. Ami’s gaze in the rearview mirror, saw the disgust there. _She isn’t wrong to be disturbed, I suppose. I remember that she was saddened when I told her my mother stopped holding me when I stopped feeding at the breast, that my father would not let her coddle me any longer. But however Sephiroth has been raised, he is the stronger for it._

“The trainers can hardly even hit me anymore,” Sephiroth added. “I’m too fast for them.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Rufus said thoughtfully. “You really enjoy fighting, don’t you?”

“It’s what I live for.”

The car stopped in front of m.Ako. The chic boutique had an imposingly modern storefront, the black steel beams supporting its large windows resembling prison gates. The windows were tinted but two large screens displayed the boutique’s proffered items, as if to say that only the worthy deserved to see the goods in person. Sephiroth stared at the storefront with round eyes until Rufus took him by the hand and led him inside.

Rufus was immediately recognized by the staff. Knowing his preference for solitude, they hovered at a respectful distance to wait for his call for assistance. Sephiroth gazed around at the large, sparse white room with its exposed piping running across the ceiling like the bleached guts of some albino creature. For once acting like a child, he took to touching fabrics as he wandered the racks of clothing.

 _What_ am _I going to tell people about him?_ Rufus wondered, watching in amusement. He could see the staff whispering nearby, their eyes constantly flicking to the silver-haired boy. Of course, no one dared challenge his presence, any friend of the Shinra family was welcome here. _But what will I say? This will be noted and gossiped about before the morning is over. I have enough acquaintances to be kept from being seen as totally antisocial but I’ve never gone shopping with any of them. As it is, people are beginning to gossip about why I don’t date, and in another year, I’ll have to get some girl to play the part of a girlfriend to shut them all up. So how can I explain suddenly being a friend of a bizarre child like this? Charity? No, I wouldn’t taint Sephiroth’s life with that. Well, he is tall. I suppose he could pass for being my age. I’ll say he’s a friend. Best not to elaborate more than that._

“Do you like anything?” Rufus asked the boy.

“These clothes would not be good for fighting,” Sephiroth said sagely. “Most of them would be difficult to move in.”

“Well, you won’t be doing any fighting on the streets,” Rufus pointed out. “Hm. What colors do you like?”

“Black.”

Rufus stifled a laugh. The only others he had heard claim that as a favorite color were wannabe urbanites and the goth crowd. But the boy meant it, the answer came to him immediately. Perhaps he liked it because it was the color of the SOLDIER First Class uniforms, Rufus mused.

“All right, something black,” Rufus said. “And something easy to fight in, in case we end up battling for our lives in the middle of Midgar.”

“That would be exciting,” Sephiroth said. “Do they sell real swords here?”

“No, and before you ask, _no_ , I am not going to arm you with a real sword.”

“Too bad,” Sephiroth said. “Heidegger said that once I’m old enough, if I do well in SOLDIER, I will have a special sword made for me. But I have to finish growing first.”

“You have to make SOLDIER first.”

“Oh, that won’t be a problem.”

“You’re a bit arrogant, aren’t you?”

“It’s the truth.”

 _So Heidegger is in on it, too,_ Rufus noted. He began to take some things off the racks, guessing at Sephiroth’s size. _That’s surprising, given his preference for mechanized weapons. I suppose even he can’t deny Sephiroth’s potential._

Rufus led Sephiroth to the dressing rooms and instructed him to try the things on. While he waited outside the curtained cubicle, Rufus motioned for a sales clerk. They were only too happy to wait on the “young Mr. Shinra”.

“And the young gentleman with you? Is he a friend?”

_No. Yes. I don’t know._

“Yes. But charge it all to my account. No need to treat it as anything other than a personal purchase.”

“Yes sir.”

Sephiroth emerged, looking a bit self-conscious. He had chosen close-fitting black pants, heavy boots, and a combination shirt and jacket that had many straps to hold it in place around the waist. Like that, he certainly could pass for thirteen.

“It’s summer,” Rufus remarked. “You won’t be too warm with those long sleeves?”

“No.”

Rufus thought of the boy’s unnaturally cool skin and did not argue the point further. He told the clerk that they would take everything, sized according to the outfit Sephiroth was wearing. He ordered the other items and Sephiroth’s old clothes be sent to the Shinra Building under his own name. He scanned his store card on the clerk’s tablet and they left. Outside, Ms. Ami opened the car door for them again.

“Wait.”

Rufus turned to Sephiroth.

“Why are you doing this?” Sephiroth asked. “That was a lot of money, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, so you do know what gil is.”

“Of course I know!” Sephiroth snapped. “Why are you spending your gil on me? I know that you’re rich, but we don’t even know each other. And I don’t need your charity.”

 _There is it again, that arrogant pride,_ Rufus thought. _I was right, he doesn’t like the idea of charity. Poor kid, the only things he has in this world are his pride and his strength. I need to tame those qualities just enough that he’ll respect me._

 _But why_ am _I doing this? How can I answer him when I don’t even know why myself?_

“Shinra is already invested in you,” Rufus said. “These clothes are worth no more than all the expensive tests Hojo puts you through or the combat training you’ve been given. Even that training dummy was worth more than this.”

“I apologized for that. Is that what you’re doing? Punishing me?”

“Would I be punishing you by taking you out on the town?”

Rufus seized the boy’s wrist.

“Believe me, if I ever punish you, you’ll know it.”

Sephiroth merely sniffed at the threat, lifting his chin. Rufus squeezed his wrist more tightly, dragged him into the car. Sephiroth yanked his arm away, crossing his arms and sighing.

“The tests and training are necessary,” Sephiroth said. “Those things will help me get stronger for SOLDIER. I don’t need fancy clothes or to waste time in the city.”

“Then consider it another test,” Rufus said, exasperated. “If you can get through combat training and medical exams, then surely you can get through a social experiment.”

“Is that what this is?”

Rufus snorted, amused by the level of condescension in the younger boy’s tone. Purposefully annoying him, Rufus patted a hand down on Sephiroth’s head. He ruffled his hair while Sephiroth gritted his teeth.

“Yes, let’s call it that,” Rufus said. “So settle down and behave. You do belong to Shinra, after all, don’t you?”

Sephiroth blew out a sigh. Finally, he gave up fighting. Rufus gave Ms. Ami their destination and watched the city pass by languidly. An experiment, yes, that was the best way to think of his relationship with Sephiroth. That way, he did not have to question his own feelings too much. He would watch this intriguing child for a while, there was nothing more to it than that.

Rufus was a serious, studious youth, but he was not immune to the charms of summer vacation. Normally, he enjoyed himself best when he was pursuing his hobbies alone. Today, he was glad to have company. He brought Sephiroth to the finest theater in Midgar. No one questioned Rufus’s obviously forged ID, so they were able to see the latest mature-rated war film. Rufus spent more time watching Sephiroth than the movie. The child was not the slightest bit fazed by the violence or gore. He did not cheer or bounce in his seat like most kids (and some adults) would do. The boy took it all in with his intense green gaze, an excited smile on his boyish face.

“Is it really that way?” Sephiroth asked outside the theater. “Fighting in a war?”

“I don’t know. There hasn’t been a war in my lifetime, and I’m no soldier,” Rufus said. “I would imagine that it’s bloodier and more difficult, with no romantically happy ending.”

“I can’t wait to learn to use real weapons, and materia,” Sephiroth said. “They keep taking away my materia when it levels up. They won’t let me use anything new until everything I do is absolutely perfect.”

The words struck a chord inside Rufus’s heart. Unbidden, the image of his beautiful mother, frozen in time forever in her casket, floated to the surface of his mind. He forced the image away, swallowing hard.

“This has been … okay,” Sephiroth said, stifling his obvious enjoyment. “But I should go back to the Shinra Building. Hojo won’t tell _you_ anything, but he doesn’t like me to go outside. His lectures are very annoying.”

Rufus’s vision blurred momentarily. He could still hear his mother’s voice.

_‘My perfect boy.’_

Before he knew it, Rufus was gripping Sephiroth’s hand. The boy eyed him warily but did not resist. Rufus blinked to clear his vision. He looked down at the child, a bit dazed. _I told him that we could be perfect, he and I. Is this because of my mother? It’s too ridiculous. Am I trying to raise this boy the way she raised me? Projecting my own childhood onto him? Or do I just want to be with someone who also understands that pressure? Until he said that, I hadn’t even realized how heavy it’s gotten since my mother fell ill. It’s like I’ve forgotten how to breathe …_

“Rufus?” Sephiroth asked. “Are you okay?”

_It’s the first time he’s called me by name._

“Hungry.”

“Hm?”

“You must be hungry.” Rufus forced a smile. “It’s past noon. Before we go back, let’s eat something first.”

“All right.”

Ms. Ami drove them to a restaurant. They were the only children there but Rufus was never refused service. They were seated at a private booth and given appetizers. After inquiring as to what foods Sephiroth liked, Rufus ordered for them both. As they ate, Rufus noted that Sephiroth had a way of eating delicately but quickly. He held his fork in his left hand.

“Left-handed?” Rufus asked. “I saw you using the wooden sword with your right hand, though.”

“Ambidextrous.”

“Oh.”

Rufus fell silent, barely eating. The memory of his mother had given him a nasty shock. He was unused to not having control over his mind and emotions. To have even taken the kid’s hand in public—why? For comfort? Ridiculous.

 _It’s only an experiment,_ Rufus told himself over and over. _He isn’t a friend, he’s a project. It’s only natural that I oversee an important Shinra project like this Sephiroth, isn’t it? He’s Shinra property. He will be a SOLDIER someday, a SOLDIER that serves Shinra, that serves me, once I’m President. This has nothing to do with mother. It’s just an interesting way to spend the summer vacation, that’s all._

“Do you want dessert?” Rufus asked. “I could use something indulgent.”

“I don’t like sweets.”

“You have quite mature tastes for a child,” Rufus said. “I think that we can find you something, though.”

Sephiroth settled for a lightly salted dark cocoa ice cream dish while Rufus treated himself to cake. Truth be told, he rarely ate sweets, either, but he was reluctant to return to the Shinra Building. However he felt about Sephiroth, the boy was a much-needed distraction from his thoughts and memories.

After the meal, Rufus convinced Sephiroth to accompany him to the nearby park. The rectangular patch of green extended across two Sectors in the heart of Midgar’s downtown. Rufus explained to Sephiroth that the vegetation was infused with Mako, hence the almost over-nourished appearance of the flora.

“There was going to be a flower garden, but for some reason flowers always wilt quickly in Midgar,” Rufus said. “My mother was very disappointed that her family’s prized roses wouldn’t grow here. She was from another town, you see.”

“Did you love her?”

“Hm?” Rufus’s throat tightened and he cleared it. “Oh, I … I rarely even saw her. My father insisted that my care be left predominantly to caretakers like Ms. Ami and my tutors.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Rufus’s hand went unconsciously to where the pendant lay beneath his shirt. Was it really perfection that she had wanted for Rufus? Or did Mrs. Shinra harbor a deeper desire for her only son?

_‘Don’t be weak like me. Don’t be imperfect. Don’t let yourself be hurt the way I have been hurt.’_

She had never spoken such words, but Rufus thought they were her true pleas. She simply could not express herself in any other way because she had been raised to value illusions. It was no wonder that she crumbled when her illusion of a perfect, happy family was shattered. For the first time in his life, Rufus allowed his heart to ache for her. He shut his eyes briefly, sighing.

“Yes,” he admitted. “Yes, I loved her.”

“I always wanted to have a mother,” Sephiroth murmured. “My mother’s name was ‘Jenova’, she died after giving birth to me. I always wondered if she would have loved me or not.”

“Of course she would have,” Rufus said. “How could she not? You’re … exceptional. You are … truly perfect.”

Sephiroth turned to Rufus, eyes wide. He searched Rufus’s eyes, for what Rufus could not guess. Then—he smiled. This time, there was no cynicism or condescension. The boy’s smile was wide and warm, it brightened his entire countenance. Rufus’s heart twisted in an unfamiliar way.

“Thank you,” Sephiroth said. “No one … No one has ever answered that question for me before.”

Rufus felt his control slipping again. He recalled the last time that his mother had ever come close to telling him that she loved him. He had been seven-years-old. She had given him some now-forgotten holiday gift. He told her that he loved her and asked whether she loved him. She had been about to reply when President Shinra scoffed and told her to stop babying Rufus. The words died in her throat and her eyes lost some of their light. The reaction had puzzled and disturbed Rufus, but he had long since learned not to cry. Mrs. Shinra had only given him a weak smile and told him to play with his toy. Later that day, he heard her sniffling over a glass of wine in the kitchen.

Rufus fell to his knees, overwhelmed with emotion. He took Sephiroth, this other unloved boy, into his arms. Sephiroth gave a small sound of alarm, arms raised defensively. Rufus hugged him tightly, and his tears fell. Sephiroth squirmed, then slowly lowered his arms around Rufus. His body remained tense, his skin cool, but he did not fight.

“Are you crying?”

“I _did_ love my mother,” Rufus confessed. “And I do miss her.”

“Oh.”

Sephiroth did not know what else to say. He had never seen anyone cry before, certainly not anyone older than himself. So he remained rigidly in the other boy’s arms, until Rufus drew back. Rufus wiped his eyes dry and held Sephiroth by the shoulders.

“Hasn’t anyone ever loved you, Sephiroth?” Rufus asked.

“I-I don’t know.” Sephiroth’s bottom lip quivered. “I thought … Professor Gast did, but … he left. And then he died. Why … Why do people have to die, Rufus?”

“I don’t know. I just don’t know.” Rufus stood, wiping his face with his hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad. Let’s go home.”

“Mm hm.”

Rufus still felt shaky inside. He put an arm around Sephiroth’s shoulders, met no resistance. If Ms. Ami noticed his reddened eyes, she did not comment on them. She quietly opened the car door for them, shut it once they were inside.

“Take us to the Shinra Building,” Rufus said. “I’ll see Sephiroth back before I go back home.”

“Yes sir.”

The boys were quiet during the ride back to the Shinra HQ. Rufus took Sephiroth in and to the lab via the executive elevator. Once there, Sephiroth showed Rufus the way to his room. Rufus entered behind him without asking. It was a small room, neat and clean. The furnishings were comfortable but there was no sign of childhood. Even the books on a steel bookshelf centered around combat and the military, with the exception of a collection of Professor Gast’s writings about the Cetra.

“Don’t you have any toys?” Rufus asked.

“Do _you_?”

“No, but I’m already thirteen,” Rufus said. “Not even a toy SOLDIER?”

“Why would I play with soldiers when I’m training to _be_ in SOLDIER?”

Rufus ruffled his hair, unable to deny the point. He did find a childish drawing in crayon, smoothed out but still wrinkled from being crumpled. It was taped to the wall above Sephiroth’s desk.

“Did you draw this?”

“No.”

“Who did?”

“I don’t know.” Sephiroth hoisted himself onto his bed. “I found it in the hallway one day. I think it belonged to the little girl that used to live here, but I never met her.”

“There was a little girl living in the lab, too?”

“They said so.” Sephiroth shrugged. “I don’t know. But I liked that picture.”

Rufus looked closely at the scribbles. The picture depicted the black, starry sky of outer space, with a blue globe that might have been the Planet. Above it all was an angry, whirling globe of orange and red.

“I think it’s the meteor from Professor Gast’s books about the Ancients,” Sephiroth said. “You know, the big meteor that almost destroyed the Planet two-thousand years ago. Professor Gast used to read me stories about the Ancients and the meteor and the Lifestream and the Planet.”

 _That’s a morbid picture for a kid to have,_ Rufus thought. _If a little girl did draw it, no wonder she threw it away._

“Do you believe in the Lifestream?” Sephiroth asked.

“I never thought about it,” Rufus said, turning to Sephiroth. “I was taught that death is death, nothing that might come after it matters. But now … I don’t know.”

Sephiroth watched him with those strange eyes of his, expression unreadable. He hopped down from his bed and retrieved a book from his shelf. A little shyly, he held it out to Rufus.

“You could borrow it, if you want to?”

The gesture was so awkward that Rufus had to smile. The kid really did not know anything about friendship. He took the book and thanked him. The room’s door opened then, admitting none other than Professor Hojo. Sephiroth groaned softly.

“There you are! Where have—Oh, young Mr. Shinra.”

“Professor Hojo,” Rufus said coldly. “I told you that I was taking Sephiroth out, didn’t I?”

“Of … Of course,” Hojo said sourly. “But, Sephiroth, it’s almost time for your mathematics lessons.”

Sephiroth blinked at him.

“You need to get going,” Hojo said, fraught with impatience. “What are you wearing?”

“I’ve bought him some things, that’s all,” Rufus said. “The rest will be delivered later. Sephiroth, I won’t keep you any longer. You should go.”

“All right.” Sephiroth looked up at him. “I … I had fun today.”

Sephiroth sounded as surprised as Hojo looked. He gave Rufus a small, shy smile, then left. Hojo and Rufus stared one another down.

“So he is being educated in subjects other than combat.”

“Of course he is,” Hojo said. “Sephiroth’s mind is as powerful as his body. He’s read everything on that shelf, several times over, and I bring him any book he likes from the library. If he were in a traditional school, I’m sure he’d be even further along than y—than most children.”

“But he doesn’t own a single toy.”

“Do _you_?” Hojo shot back, eerily reminiscent of Sephiroth. “I can’t imagine you sitting around playing with toys.”

“No, but at least I had them,” Rufus said. “He has no toys, he had no street clothes before we went shopping. The only times anyone reaches out to him is to strike him during training or put him through whatever tests you conduct on him.”

“Sephiroth is a weapon, not a child,” Hojo said. “He is going to be the finest weapon to ever fight for Shinra—for _your_ family’s company. Surely, you can’t begrudge that?”

“What is he?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, _what is he_?”

Rufus went to the door and opened it. Satisfied that the hallway was empty, he shut it again. Hojo’s eye was twitching behind his glasses. Rufus walked up to him.

“Sephiroth is not human, not with those eyes,” Rufus said. “What did you do to him? Did you put him through the SOLDIER process in infancy?”

“Nonsense!” Hojo said. “Sephiroth is special, that’s all. We were fortunate to find him.”

“That’s a lie.”

“That’s all I’ll say, whether you believe me or not.”

“I’ll ask my father.”

The smug smirk on Hojo’s face made Rufus’s blood boil. Rufus knew then that whatever the President thought about Sephiroth, he did not know the entire truth. Rufus believed that only Hojo knew the truth now that Professor Gast was dead. Had the secret itself doomed Gast? What in the world could it be?

“Go ahead, he’ll tell you the same as I have,” Hojo said. “Surely, you won’t call him a liar?”

Rufus let the matter drop. He knew that he was too young to force the issue. The mystery of Sephiroth’s origin would have to wait until he had taken his place in the Shinra hierarchy. He hated being a kid.

“What is your interest in Sephiroth?” Hojo asked. “If you want a new pup, I’ll give you another one to have trained.”

“Yes, I do need a new pup,” Rufus said. “But that’s besides the point. Sephiroth is … intriguing. I’ve never met anyone like him.”

“Yes, he’s special, but as I said, he’s a weapon, not a child,” Hojo said. “I know that you’re brave, you wanted one of our military dogs since you were young enough to be eaten whole by one. You’ve never been afraid to oversee their training, either. I’ll breed you the perfect guard dog, young Mr. Shinra, but leave Sephiroth to me.”

“No.”

“What!”

“I said, no,” Rufus repeated. “I like Sephiroth as a friend. I think that he needs a friend, living like this.”

“You’re lying to yourself if you believe that,” Hojo said. “You want a new pet, that’s all.”

“That’s all I’ll say, whether you believe it or not.”

Hojo scowled darkly as Rufus threw his own words back at him. His fists were clenched in helpless fury. Rufus put his hands in his pockets, strolling towards the door languidly.

“I may not have official authority in this building yet, but I am still a Shinra,” Rufus said. “Remember that.”

With that, he left the scientist grumbling furiously. A smile played on his lips as he left the R&D labs. He would never abandon Sephiroth the way Gast appeared to have done, and there was nothing Hojo could do about it.


	5. Chapter 5

That night, Rufus lay awake in bed for a long time. His mind and heart were still a jumble of emotion. He had not felt this raw in many years. As much as he hated the vulnerability of it, it was a relief to let his feelings run wild for a change. He only hoped that the grief would run out soon, he never wanted to break down the way he had in the park again.

Rufus lifted his necklace out of his pajama shirt and stared at it. The pupil-like slit made the Materia seem to stare at him. The moonlight was lost to Midgar’s Mako-powered streetlamps. Their illumination made the materia seem to glow.

 _No, it_ is _glowing!_

Rufus sat up excitedly, holding the pendant closer to his face. The color was remarkably like Sephiroth’s eyes, growing brighter and brighter. Rufus drew a deep breath and touched the materia, channeling his own energy into it tentatively. He had not trained with materia much and did not want to unleash any destructive force by accident.

The green light washed over the room and everything was still and silent. It was too still. The curtains froze in mid-sway, the clock stopped ticking, and outside the window, Rufus glimpsed cars and people stopped in mid-place. Fear trickled down his spine and his mouth went dry. Then, something in his dark room moved.

A cloaked and hooded figure emerged from the shadows. Rufus tensed as the figure headed towards his bed. Two bandaged hands came up and smoothed back the hood. An old weathered face beneath a shock of white hair lifted. Strangely familiar blue eyes met Rufus’s.

“Who … Who … ” Rufus licked his lips and steadied his voice. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“In my world, I am a legend of infamy. In your world, I am only a footnote,” the old man said. “Rufus Shinra … is the name that we share.”

Rufus’s eyes widened. What madness was this? Had he fallen asleep? This must be a nightmare. Yes, that would explain why the man’s features were growing more and more familiar. He had to be dreaming, imagining himself as an old man.

“This is no dream,” Old Rufus said. “But think what you want. I remember how stubborn I was at that age.”

“What do you want?” Rufus asked. “If you _are_ me, you know that I hate playing meaningless games.”

“Of course,” Old Rufus said. “But as you can see, we do have the _time_. And there is much that I must tell you.”

Rufus looked around. Everything was still frozen, even outside his window. Only Old Rufus Shinra and he could move. The eerie glow of the materia ebbed and flowed around them.

“I am speaking to you from the past of your world,” Old Rufus explained. “In your time, my side of this conversation happened just after you were born, and I am long dead. I had to bridge the gap between those early years and today, to explain things to you, starting with that materia.”

Rufus looked down at it, back at his older self. He was too stunned to speak.

“That is the culmination of many years of research, all devoted to a single purpose,” Old Rufus explained. “That is the True Time Materia. It has allowed me to traverse the Timestream from the future, to come to a particular point in the past and thus plant the seeds from which a new continuum will grow. My very presence in this past has already created another world, a _new_ world, full of all its potential: the world you inhabit in your present.”

“A time-travel materia? That isn’t possible.”

“I _made it_ possible,” Old Rufus said. “As our father was—is—so fond of saying, if one desires something, they must _take_ it. I created this True Time Materia for the sole purpose of bringing it back to this still-hopeful world and giving it to you.”

“I guess there’s no point in asking ‘why me’,” Rufus said dryly. “So, what is it that you want me to do?”

“I want you to change this world,” Old Rufus said. “I want you to build this world into a place of hope instead of despair. I want you to avoid the ultimate catastrophe, Meteorfall.”

Rufus was reminded of the crude drawing in Sephiroth’s room. He shuddered. The cold was too striking for a dream, he noticed. Could this possibly be real?

“Normally, the Timestream is protected by guardians that I’ve called ‘Whispers’,” Old Rufus explained. “But the True Time Materia protects us from them. They cannot interfere with this world so long as that materia remains intact. You must guard the True Time Materia, keep it safe and it will keep you safe. It will allow you to change this world for the better.”

“What is Meteorfall? How can I avoid a catastrophe like that with just one materia?”

“It has less to do with the materia than to do with people,” Old Rufus said. “It always comes down to people, in the end. Foolishly, I sought only to rule people. In the end, that was my undoing. Do not let it be yours.”

“What people?”

“Sephiroth,” Old Rufus said. “You’ve just met him, haven’t you? You’ve enjoyed a wonderful day with him. You’re questioning your feelings but you don’t need to anymore. I’ll tell you what you feel for him: love.”

Rufus inhaled sharply.

“That’s right, love,” Old Rufus said. “It is still platonic, still pure, but it is love all the same. These first days with Sephiroth were the last unsullied, innocent days of my youth. You must cherish them while they last.”

“I don’t—I can’t—It isn’t that, it can’t be—”

“It is,” Old Rufus said calmly. “It is. I know, because _I_ loved him. I never loved anyone _but_ him. You will love Sephiroth your entire life, even though that love will ultimately destroy you. And Sephiroth will ultimately destroy himself. Sephiroth is the one who will bring about Meteorfall. All of this, all of Midgar, will be destroyed by his hand. Hundreds of thousands of people will die by his hand.”

“No!” Rufus exclaimed. “No, you’re wrong. I know that he’s strong but he’s just a child. He’s an isolated, lonely, sad little boy.”

“The little boy will grow into a cold, sad, hate-filled man,” Old Rufus said. “That is what I have traveled through the Timestream to prevent. But I am old and my body was also ruined by Sephiroth’s dark acts. My final act was to bring the True Time Materia into your hands, and prepare you to save our Sephiroth.”

“Our Sephiroth,” Rufus murmured. “But I don’t … ”

“Yes, you love him,” Old Rufus said. “Don’t waste time arguing truth, boy. Listen. For now, you must simply enjoy these days with Sephiroth. Be kind to him. Live naturally. When you return to school, I have hidden more information for you. Go to the abandoned old chemistry lab and lift the floorboards. Everything that you need to prepare yourself to try to save this world and its people is there. It will be there, I have used the True Time Materia to calculate all the potentialities of this world, and have taken the best course of action that I can. You will need to do the same.”

“Can’t I just use the True Time Materia to see the future itself?”

“No, its power is weakened by now,” Old Rufus said. “Do not try to force its use, it requires a great amount of skill and energy, more than you have at your age. If you lose yourself in the Timestream, I don’t know what would happen to you. This world would certainly lose the last of its hope, and Sephiroth would lose you.”

Rufus thought of the little boy’s joyous smile and made certain that he was not feeding the materia any energy. Still, it glowed. He realized that it must be Old Rufus in the past somehow activating it. Beneath Old Rufus’s shirt, he saw a similar glow. In the time from which Old Rufus was speaking, he was the one who still had the True Time Materia. Which meant—

“My mother,” Rufus said. “My mother said that an old man with a mask gave her this pendant. That was you, wasn’t it? Pretending to be an orderly?”

“That’s right,” Old Rufus confirmed. “It was … good to see her again. Whatever you thought of her later, never doubt that she did love you—us. I saw her holding you as a newborn. She loved us.”

Rufus fought back warm tears.

“Let the grief come, it will lessen in time,” Old Rufus said. “I wasted too much of my life fighting against my feelings. In becoming ‘perfect’, I lost everything. I let Sephiroth slip right through my fingers, again and again. I let him die so many times. Now, I have only regrets, and this one seed to sew in this world.”

“Sephiroth is dead in your world?”

“Yes, and a blight on the Lifestream,” Old Rufus said. “He brought nothing but pain and suffering in his last years, and even after his last years. His legacy is one only of terror. He is _not_ fully human. But you will find out his entire story, later. For now, do not blame him or fear him. For now, he is truly just a lonely little boy. Be a friend to him, Rufus. Let yourself love him.”

“I … I will.”

“My energy is fading now,” Old Rufus said. “I will speak to you through the True Time Materia as many times as I can. But I am dying and cannot use it very often. As I said, in your time, I am already returned to the Planet—whether this Planet’s Lifestream or the one in my own continuum, I cannot guess. But you are young and alive. This world is untouched by the plague of Jenova. Enjoy your last days of innocence, then seek the full truth. But never, never let go of your love.”

Both of the True Time Materias were losing their glow. The curtains fell centimeter by centimeter. Old Rufus was consumed by light, then all was darkness. The clock resumed ticking. Outside his window, people and vehicles were moving regularly again. Rufus let out a breath he had not realized he was holding, gasping for air.

 _I am awake,_ he thought. He did not need to pinch himself, he knew that he had never fallen asleep. If pain were necessary proof, the pendant was digging into his palm, leaving a marked indent. Surreal as the meeting with his elder self had been, he knew in his heart that it had been real.

Rufus sank down into his pillows, staring at the ceiling. His fingers pushed the True Time Materia around in its one-winged frame. His mind turned over Old Rufus Shinra’s words again and again. Drowsiness began to tug at him but he flew out of bed and turned on his nightstand’s lamp. He fetched a notebook and pen from his desk and sat on his bed cross-legged, writing furiously. There was no way that he could forget those words, they were too important.

 _I should go to the school and find those documents tomorrow,_ he thought. _What exactly is Sephiroth capable of and why would he do such terrible things? What awful future am I supposed to avoid specifically? If I bribed a couple of the Turks, they would accompany me. I could get everything, know everything, right away._

Rufus yawned.

 _But he said to enjoy this summer with Sephiroth. Do I even want to know at all? The future me … he looked so old … older than my father looks now. Did he really stay loving Sephiroth all that time? Even after Sephiroth did whatever he did? Why would he go so far for him? Does he want_ me _to go that far, just for one weird kid?_

But as his thoughts turned to Sephiroth, Rufus realized that he was smiling. He glanced at the book the boy had lent him earlier, lying safely on his nightstand. He thought of that one unguarded, sweet smile.

 _Is that what this is? Love? I want to protect him. I want to make him get used to smiling. Is that love? The way Old Rufus made it sound … Will I eventually fall_ in _love with Sephiroth? I can’t imagine it, he’s just a child now, and I’ve never felt that way about anyone, either. But … either way, I do care about him. I care about him more than anything, now that mother is gone. And she … I was never able to help her._

Rufus rubbed his temples, frustrated. The True Time Materia seemed to wink at him. He took the necklace off and glared at the thing in his palm.

 _This stupid thing is ruining everything. Ever since I put it on, I’ve been confused and almost hysterical. What happened to my control? My reason? So much for leading a perfect life. I don’t even know what my life_ is _anymore._

Rufus was tempted to throw the thing away but he could not bring himself to. Besides, Old Rufus had said that it would protect him from the guardians of the Timestream, the Whispers. Whatever those were, he did not want to meet them. Besides, only fools threw away power, and as he recounted the conversation in his notebook, Rufus began to realize just how much power he had been given.

 _The power to change an entire continuum’s path. The power to help write a new future. He entrusted me with this because he wouldn’t_ —I _wouldn’t_ — _trust anyone else with so much power. Heh. And I call Sephiroth ‘arrogant’ …_

Rufus finished writing out the conversation as close to verbatim as he could recall in his notebook. His eyes skimmed the pages even as his eyelids started to droop. He yawned again and put the necklace on, safely tucked under his shirt. The notebook he hid under the mattress. If anyone found it, he could always say it was a creative writing exercise, it was too insane to be anything else, but he did not want anyone to read it. He turned off the light and settled under the covers.

_Maybe I will wait until summer is over. I have to think this through carefully. If this continuum is really free from the influence of time itself … If I really have the power to change things on such a high level … I need to think. I need to …_

Rufus’s eyes closed and he fell asleep. Outside, the world went on turning as it should. Yet from another dimension outside both time and space, the Whispers watched.


	6. Chapter 6

Rufus woke up in a daze. The first thing he did was retrieve his notebook from beneath his mattress and read the record of his conversation with his future self. Convinced of the event’s reality, he hid the notebook again, and commenced his morning routine.

Rufus was served breakfast by one of the household’s servants. Ms. Ami joined him, informing him that his father had already gone to work. President Shinra rarely ate at his penthouse at all, even when his wife had been alive. Rufus glanced at the seat his mother had usually occupied while she sipped orange juice from a wine glass and read her society papers or magazines. He had always disregarded her as an unnecessary presence, and he regretted it bitterly.

_‘She loved us.’_

Rufus drew a deep breath and averted his eyes from the empty chair. The Shinra penthouse in the exclusive residential district of Sector 0 overlooked all of the city; the only better view in Midgar was from the top of the Shinra Building. The penthouse took up the top two floors of the Shinra Tower and was furnished lavishly. Servants tended to the home and family’s every need in respectful silence. To Rufus, it no longer felt like home. It used to be his family abode, now he could only see it as his father’s apartment.

Rufus was in a thoughtful mood. He was not quite ready to make a decision as to his plans yet. Ms. Ami drove him to the private park that divided the residential area from the rest of Sector 0’s industrial and business sectors. Rufus, in white workout gear, went for a long run through the Mako-infused greenery. The adrenaline eased his grief and the solitude cleared his mind. He felt more like his usual self by the time he returned.

Rufus returned home to shower and change. Then, he had Ms. Ami drive him to the Shinra Building. Still, he was uncertain of what he would actually do once he was there. Should he retrieve the information his old self had left for him at the school? Or should he enjoy the rest of summer vacation before he took that plunge? He was very curious, but he was also a little bit afraid. Once he knew the possible future, he could never unlearn those potentialities. He had a feeling that delving into Old Rufus Shinra’s information would fundamentally change his life and his entire being.

Rufus found himself back on Floor 66. He headed for Sephiroth’s room as if drawn by a magnet. Hojo accosted him before he arrived.

“Ah, young Mr. Shinra,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to find you. I have a new batch of pups just old enough to begin training. Would you care to pick one out?”

“Hm? Oh, later. Where is Sephiroth?”

Hojo’s eyes narrowed. Rufus crossed his arms. _If Sephiroth goes wrong, it will be because of this odious man. Does he know the extent of Sephiroth’s potential? Is that what he’s really raising him to be? Or is he simply underestimating his little project?_

“In his room,” Hojo said slowly. “But he has training lessons in an hour. He’s going to be very busy.”

“They can wait,” Rufus said. “Surely, having a few breaks won’t impede someone as special as you say Sephiroth is? What was it you called him the other day? Exceptional?”

“He is, but he still has to work,” Hojo said. “I told you yesterday, he’s not your new pet.”

“No. He’s a friend.”

Rufus turned his back on Hojo and briskly came to Sephiroth’s room. Without knocking, he went inside. Hojo trailed after him with a dejected scowl. Rufus could almost hear his mind turning over how to delicately get Rufus to bug off. Rufus knew he was playing a risky game—if Hojo complained to the President, he may revoke Rufus’s access to the labs altogether. Rufus would have to think of an alternative way to spend time with Sephiroth later, he knew. For now, he just wanted to see the boy who may someday bring about a world-devastating catastrophe.

Sephiroth was standing before a full-length mirror that hung from the inside of his closet door. He had obviously just showered, wearing a black terrycloth robe. He was brushing his long hair with such a serious look that Rufus almost laughed. This was the threat to the entire Planet? An overly intense little boy?

Then Sephiroth turned and his vibrant eyes met Rufus’s. He almost smiled but then he noticed Hojo. He glared at the scientist with such hatred that Rufus felt his blood run cold.

 _‘He is_ not _fully human.’_

The fire died from Sephiroth’s eyes. He turned back to the mirror and resumed brushing his hair.

“Let me guess,” he said, “you two are arguing over what _I_ should do today, aren’t you?”

“It’s hardly an argument,” Rufus said. “You’re coming out with me.”

“Again?”

“It is a weekend.”

“My training … ”

“Can wait a day.”

Sephiroth considered. The brush swished softly through his hair. It snagged on a tangle and his brow furrowed. Hojo impatiently strode forward. He took the brush from Sephiroth and rather harshly brushed through the knot.

“You really should cut it,” he said. “Why won’t you cut it?”

“I don’t want to.”

“It isn’t very practical for a future soldier.”

Rufus wrested the brush from Hojo and examined the boy’s hair. He really did not know how Sephiroth fought with it all loose but it did not seem to bother him. He worked out the knot with his fingers and returned the brush to Sephiroth.

“It’s fine,” he told Hojo. “He moves too quickly for anyone to grab it, I’m sure. He just needs something better to wash it with, it smells like soap.”

“It is,” Hojo said.

“I’ll have better things sent over,” Rufus said. “It won’t get so tangled if it’s washed properly. You’re a scientist, aren’t you? And you don’t even know that?”

“I don’t bother with useless information,” Hojo grumbled.

Rufus stood with a hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder protectively. Sephiroth finished brushing his hair and pushed it off his shoulders. Rufus told him to change into his street clothes and Sephiroth complied. He picked out some of his new things and went into the bathroom to dress. Hojo stared at Rufus ponderously.

“He listens to you,” he said. “Why does he listen to _you_?”

“Because I’m a friend,” Rufus said. “I told you, he isn’t some new pet to me. You’re the one treating him like a dog of war.”

“He doesn’t need friends,” Hojo said. “Don’t you see what he is? What he’s—”

“What? Capable of?” Rufus asked. “What _is_ he capable of exactly, Professor Hojo?”

“Great things,” Hojo said. “Great, great things beyond your imagination. But he won’t accomplish anything if you poison him with this nonsense. Do you know how much Shinra has invested in him? You’re going to ruin him! Waste his potential!”

Sephiroth emerged from the bathroom. He was wearing the same boots he had chosen yesterday but had opted for black shorts and a fitted black vest. For all his training, Rufus noted there was not a single bruise on the boy’s body. His body was wiry-strong, promising to fill out in muscle in a few years.

“It’s too early for your hysteria, _Professor_ ,” Sephiroth said. “Let’s go, Rufus.”

Rufus smirked at Hojo and waved two fingers in farewell. As they left the room, they heard Hojo sputtering.

“What is wrong with children these days!” he shouted. “The President is going to hear about this!”

The threat worried Rufus but he shelved the problem for later. He turned his attention to Sephiroth. The boy was walking with as much confidence as if he went out this way _every_ day. Nonetheless, he took a wrong turn before the elevators. Rufus guided him around by the shoulder, taking pains not to laugh.

“Hojo is very annoying,” Sephiroth said gravely in the elevator. “I miss Professor Gast.”

“Hojo doesn’t hurt you, does he?” Rufus asked. He was thinking of the rough way the man had tried to untangle the boy’s hair. “Does he hit you?”

“No, he just yells a lot,” Sephiroth said. “Sometimes, I think, he wants to, but he doesn’t dare.”

Rufus wondered about that. At times, he saw fear in Hojo’s dark eyes. Sephiroth was only a child, if Hojo attempted to hurt him, the boy would be justified in defending himself. The scientist was mad but not mad enough to give Sephiroth a legitimate reason to attack him, Rufus figured. Besides that, Hojo did seem to want to raise Sephiroth to be strong. How strong he wanted Sephiroth to be remained to be seen. Rufus did not like the idea that Hojo was plotting a darker fate for the kid than being in SOLDIER.

“How does he punish you?”

“By not letting me train,” Sephiroth said glumly. “The last time he was very angry, he didn’t let me into the gym for two weeks. It’s horrible, being locked in my room that long with nothing to do. I wish he _would_ just hit me and get it over with.”

The elevator reached the ground level. Sephiroth knew enough to let Rufus walk ahead. He still looked around the building with a tourist’s curiosity. Rufus did not like how unfamiliar with his own home Sephiroth was. _Hojo locks him in his room, only lets him out for lessons, and keeps him in the lab? It isn’t right._

They left the Shinra HQ. Sephiroth blinked but did not squint in the daylight. Ms. Ami was waiting with the car. She seemed to be enjoying herself now that Rufus was going out more. _She’s happy for me,_ Rufus realized. _How can she be, after what I did to her? I guess how I feel about Sephiroth is the way caregivers feel about their charges. I never thought about it that way before._

“Where are we going?” Sephiroth asked.

Rufus realized that he had no idea. What _did_ kids do for fun? He had only a vague idea of what kids his own age did. Sephiroth was looking at him expectantly and he was at a loss. His face colored.

“There’s a carnival that just opened up by the Sky Docks,” Ms. Ami spoke up. “Does that sound fun, Seph?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“O-oh! Sorry.”

“That sounds fine, Ms. Ami,” Rufus said. “I doubt you’ve ever been to a carnival, have you, Sephiroth?”

Sephiroth shook his head. He sat up and turned to the window. The city fascinated him. Rufus told Ms. Ami to turn the radio on to the news. He was content to listen to current events as the streets drifted by outside the car’s tinted windows.

“Tensions with Wutai are getting bad,” Rufus remarked to Ms. Ami. “They just won’t budge about building a Mako Reactor. I’ve never understood why people fight against progress.”

“I just hope it doesn’t escalate,” Ms. Ami said. “There have been difficult talks with other territories before now, but there’s always been a compromise.”

“Compromise? Shinra has always won,” Rufus said. “Well, this is just the initial round of talks. Shinra has more than enough on its plate—and on _the_ Plate—to contend with now. Still, if Wutai never does come around, eventually there will be conflict.”

“Heidegger says that Shinra should blow Wutai off the map and rebuild it in the image of Midgar,” Sephiroth said. “I heard him saying that to one of my trainers in the cafeteria.”

“The cafeteria?” Rufus asked. “I assumed that you ate on the 66th Floor?”

“Hm? Oh. Yes. I do.”

“Then how did you happen to overhear that?”

Sephiroth shrugged. Rufus turned the boy by the shoulder to face him. Sephiroth lifted his face. _Defiant again,_ Rufus noted. _Whatever he confesses to, he’s going to either blame it on someone else or make it sound like no big deal._

“Sometimes I go into the vents,” Sephiroth said. “There are a lot of vents leading into and out of the labs. When the systems break down or aren’t being used, I can go wherever I want. It’s only a game that I play sometimes.”

_I knew it._

“And this game involves eavesdropping on people?”

“I can’t help it if I’m passing by and hear things,” Sephiroth said. “ _You’re_ Shinra, aren’t you? You should see that that gets fixed. It’s bad for security.”

“I’ll look into it,” Rufus said. “And _you_ should learn to plug your ears.”

“Ha.”

Rufus ruffled the boy’s hair. Sephiroth turned back to the window. _The more he talks, the more of a cheeky brat he can be,_ Rufus thought. _If this continues, he’s going to start to see me as his partner in crime. I’ll have to be careful or we’ll both end up in trouble. It’s going to be enough of a struggle to keep father from revoking my access now that Hojo’s freaking out._

They arrived at the Sky Docks area of Midgar. This slice of Midgar contained a huge, flat swath of paved land that served the Midgar Central Airport and various smaller aviation companies. Ringing the airfield was a boardwalk now filled with the carnival’s attractions, booths, tents, and pop-up shops. An empty portion of the airfield had been rented to offer a variety of rides. Music and laughter drifted through the fried food-scented air.

Sephiroth was out of the car almost before it stopped moving. He did not smile or start babbling like most kids would do. Instead, his vivid eyes took in everything, head swiveling this way and that a few times. He paid no mind to Rufus as he wandered, so Rufus gripped his hand to keep him from running off.

“I’ve never been to one of these things, either,” Rufus admitted. “My father never had time for useless entertainment so my mother never dared take me. I’ve never been close enough to anyone at school to bother going with any of them. I always thought they were too noisy.”

“It is noisy,” Sephiroth agreed. “But I don’t mind. What do you do here, though? Everyone is doing something different.”

“Er, well … ”

A barker shouted out to them. Sephiroth turned.

“Yes, the, uh—” The barker paused just a second when he met Sephiroth’s gaze. “—the gray-haired boy! You look—capable! Try your hand at this, young man?”

Sephiroth approached the booth warily. It was a shooting game. The barker handed him a toy rifle and explained the rules. Sephiroth, far too intense, took up the gun and shot. After missing a few times, his eyes narrowed.

“I see. There’s a trick put into it.”

“Well, these games are all rigged,” Rufus said.

“Now, now, wait a moment,” the barker protested. “Let’s not use the ‘r’ word now, boys. It’s just a game! You just have to have skill!”

Sephiroth shook his head, as if to say “pathetic”. He fired off the last shots and asked for another round. Ms. Ami, fortunately, had brought gil in coins. Rufus appreciated her foresight. Sephiroth took the gun up again and adjusted his aim accordingly. This time, he did not miss a single target.

“L-like I said … skill,” the barker said weakly. “Here, young man. Isn’t that cute?”

The barker shoved the prize into the kid’s arms. Sephiroth looked at the big stuffed Chocobo in dismay. He looked at Rufus for help. Rufus could not help it, he burst into laughter. The poor kid looked so baffled.

“Ah, let’s get that back to the car for you,” Ms. Ami came to the rescue. “There. I’ll be right back.”

“What a useless thing,” Sephiroth said as he watched her run off with the stuffed doll. “Why is that a prize?”

“Because people like cute things,” Rufus said. “Don’t you like cute things?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

Rufus led him down a ways until they came to a makeshift race track. Real chocobos were lazily sauntering around a pen outside while ranchers led them for a run around the track with squealing kids riding in their saddles. Rufus checked the height limit (Sephiroth was just short enough) and paid for a ride. Sephiroth glared at him.

“I’m not going on one of those.”

“Yes you are.”

Rufus jostled him into the chocobo pen. The chocobos all lifted their heads. One gave a shrill “Kweh!” and they backed away. Rufus’s eye twitched. _Even the Chocobos … are afraid of Sephiroth._

Fortunately, a rancher managed to wrangle a timid green chocobo up to them. There was no mistaking the fear in its eyes when it looked down at Sephiroth. Sephiroth hesitated then put a hand down on its beak. The giant bird relaxed enough to let the boy on but remained nervous. It gave a soft “kweh” of concern to the rancher, who gave it a bunch of greens to pacify it. Once the chocobo was calm, the rancher gave Sephiroth a foot up into the saddle. The chocobo shuddered and shook its feathers. Sephiroth was still frowning but managed to sit with poise. He listened to the rancher’s instructions and nodded once.

Rufus stood outside the track to watch. He crossed his arms and leaned on the wooden fence with the waiting parents and friends. Neither Sephiroth nor the chocobo were fond of each other, that was clear. Sephiroth rode as elegantly as could be done, but Rufus saw him growing bored. The boy bent down and asked the rancher something. The rancher shrugged and released the harness. He motioned for the other riders to clear one of the tracks.

 _Oh no,_ Rufus thought.

Surely enough, Sephiroth took up the reigns with startling authority. The chocobo’s anxiety increased but it did not try to shake him. In an instant, they were sprinting around the track. The ranchers rushed to make sure the track was clear, then frantically ushered everyone back into the pen. The crowd murmured and then cheered. Sephiroth paid them no mind. He steadily increased speed until the poor bird was at its limit.

“I’ve never seen ‘im go that fast before,” one rancher muttered.

“Think that gray-haired kid would be a jockey at the races?” his friend replied. “We’d make a fortune!”

 _Well, if the SOLDIER thing doesn’t work out, at least Sephiroth has other career options,_ Rufus thought dryly. _If he doesn’t kill that chocobo first._

Sephiroth realized that the chocobo’s limit had been reached. He went around the track a few times then reigned up harshly. The audience gasped, thinking the kid would be thrown off. Sephiroth held on easily until the chocobo fell back to both feet sturdily. Then, he swung his leg over the saddle and jumped down. He was alarmed to be greeted by a loud roar of applause. Rufus went to fetch him before he died of embarrassment. When he put his hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder, he found the boy’s skin as cool and sweat-free as always. Curiously, he discreetly touched a hand to Sephiroth’s neck. His pulse was even and regular.

“Did you have fun?”

“They’re fast enough,” Sephiroth said. “Why is everyone looking at me like that?”

“You gave us quite a show.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Rufus said. “Someday, you’ll be a famous hero of SOLDIER. People will cheer for you then just like this.”

“I didn’t think about that.”

“You had better get used to it.” Rufus lifted the boy’s hand. “At least wave a little.”

He snatched it back, horrified. “No!”

Rufus laughed and led him through the crowd. _He acts so mature sometimes that it’s easy to forget, but he’s only ten. He hides it behind scorn and sullenness, but he’s actually quite shy. It’s only natural, having grown up as sheltered as he was. Normally, I wouldn’t be comfortable with this kind of situation, either. Am I changing because I want to change, or am I changing for him?_

Although Sephiroth did not seem tired or warm, Rufus took them to get refreshments. They sat on a bench drinking Potion drinks. Rufus had wondered about the caffeine but Sephiroth informed him that caffeine did not affect him in small doses. Neither, he said, did alcohol.

“And how do you know that?”

“Hojo said so.”

Rufus wondered just how far Hojo’s “tests” went. Just because he did not explicitly strike Sephiroth did not mean he was not abusing him in other ways. Rufus made a mental note to follow up on that line of questioning some other time.

“It’s nice out here,” Sephiroth said suddenly. “But there are too many people.”

“Ah, maybe next time, I’ll rent out the entire boardwalk,” Rufus said. “That way, you and I and Ms. Ami can enjoy ourselves without anyone else around.”

“You can do that?”

“Yes, but I won’t.” Rufus rested his hand atop the boy’s head. “Think of all this as a new kind of training. You’ll have to deal with this many people, and more, and their admiration and noise and pettiness someday when you become a hero of SOLDIER.”

“I don’t want to be a hero, I just want to be in SOLDIER.”

“Is that so?” Rufus sat up straight on the bench, looked at him. “Do you really know what the difference is?”

“A hero saves people, they … do good things,” Sephiroth said, waving a hand dismissively. “I just want to fight, and win.”

“I have to admire your cynicism,” Rufus chuckled. “But it doesn’t matter. In the end, if you win enough, you will be called a ‘hero’ whether you like it or not.”

“Why?”

“Because people need to believe that their leaders do good things,” Rufus explained. “Whether they do them or not, the people need to _believe_ that they do. The … presentation of a thing is often more important than the thing itself. My mother would say that the ugliest present could pass if it was in the most beautiful package, and the most beautiful present could be ruined by the ugliest package. When it comes down to it, image is the greatest tool.”

Sephiroth listened closely, his brow furrowed. Rufus turned his face up by the chin.

“You’re not just a weapon for Shinra, Sephiroth,” Rufus told him. “You will be our finest weapon, but you’re not _only_ a weapon. You’re a boy and one day you will be a man. Those others don’t seem to appreciate that, but I do. I know how it feels to be treated like a tool meant to serve a single purpose. I can’t blame my father or mother for that, I _do_ have a role to fulfill. I don’t blame Hojo or Heidegger, either, for training you that way. Adults are always trying to ignore their own flaws by fixing their children’s. It’s best to respect their wishes without ever taking them too seriously. You have to learn to think for yourself, and to make your own decisions using your own judgment.”

“Hmmm.” Sephiroth mulled it over. He nodded seriously. “That makes sense.”

Rufus ruffled his hair and sipped his Potion. Ms. Ami joined them, though she did not sit with them on the bench. She was grinning and flushed. For the first time in a long time, she looked totally at ease. Rufus felt guilty for blackmailing her, and decided what to do about it just then. He had been mulling it over since yesterday, now he was certain.

“There you are,” she said. “I didn’t know where to find you but people at the Chocobo Track were talking about a gray-haired boy riding the hel—heck—out of a green chocobo. That was you, wasn’t it, Seph?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“S-sorry.”

“It was him,” Rufus said. “I thought he was going to kill that poor bird. Too bad you’re going to grow up so tall, otherwise you would have made a good Chocobo Race jockey.”

“No.”

Rufus and Ms. Ami shared a laugh. Sephiroth finished his Potion and tossed the bottle across the boardwalk. It landed in the waste bin. Rufus wondered if he was showing off, distracting them, or simply moving the way he naturally did. The two boys stood, Rufus stretching his arms.

“Where to next?” Sephiroth asked.

“You’re not bored?”

“It’s—” Sephiroth stopped himself. “It’s interesting. But I don’t want to put on a show for people again.”

“Let’s go to the Haunted House!” Ms. Ami said. “I love those! And it should be pretty quiet, most people don’t go through during the day.”

Rufus looked at her with raised eyebrows. She remembered her place and blushed.

“Ah, sorry, I only—I—”

“No, it’s a good idea,” Rufus said. “Lead the way … _Miss_ Ami.”

She smiled awkwardly and nodded. Sephiroth followed along languidly. The Haunted House was cool and dark inside. Sephiroth went first, as if he were already a soldier. Rufus was not surprised that none of the Haunted House’s tricks caught him off guard.

“Ms. Ami.”

Rufus and his caretaker were alone in a room of mirrors for a moment. Sephiroth had gone on ahead of them after they took a wrong turn in the mirrored maze. Ms. Ami turned to Rufus and smiled politely. Rufus had read her background: She was twenty-five-years old, had done her internship in the Corporate Archives at Shinra before deciding to take up work as a child caregiver. The Turks had dug deeper on Rufus’s behest, finding out that she had been forced to seek higher-paying work when her grandfather had fallen gravely ill due to Mako poisoning from his lifetime work at Mako Reactor 5. The probable reason for her choice of profession was that she had lost a younger brother when she was fifteen. Before that loss, she had been a highly skilled competitive martial artist, and still maintained her fighting abilities during her free time.

“Do you mind if I call you by your first name?” Rufus asked. “Amara?”

“Eh? Oh, er, you can call me whatever you like, sir.”

“Amara, then,” Rufus said. “I want to apologize to you.”

“Huh?”

“You never tried to do anything other than your job,” Rufus said. “You thought that your duties entailed setting limits and advising me. I … do not like to be told what to do. I was raised to grow up very quickly and I do not tolerate those that get in my way.”

Amara stared at her shoes, obviously expecting to be admonished. Her eyes were large and round, long-lashed, of a warm brown hue. She was unfortunate enough to be the right blend of beautiful and approachable, which meant her lovers often took advantage of her.

“That said, I was wrong to do what I did,” Rufus said. “I—Well, here.”

Rufus reached into his pocket and handed her a small plastic disk drive. Amara did not dare reach for it. She eyed Rufus skeptically. _Well, I can’t blame her for not trusting me._

“Take it, I insist,” Rufus said. “Those pictures are there, the only copies left. I had the Turks make sure that your ex-boyfriend deleted any copies he might have had. You have my word, those are the only copies on the Planet.”

Amara tentatively took the drive. She clutched it in her palm tightly.

“Why?” she asked. “I thought that was just how you ‘do business’?”

“It’s how my family does business,” Rufus said. “Maybe … Maybe I’m different.”

“Sir … ”

“You can call me ‘Rufus’.”

“Okay, Rufus.”

She reached out but he held up a hand.

“But don’t touch me.”

“Yes sir. Er, okay, Rufus.”

“Now let’s go find Sephiroth before he wanders off,” Rufus said. “He can be a little too independent.”

“Like a cat.”

“Exactly like a cat.”

Sephiroth had, in fact, wandered off. They found him at a market stall near the Haunted House, arguing with the vendor. He was adamant that the weapons being sold were fakes. The seller refuted the claims. Rufus took Sephiroth by the shoulders and steered him away while Amara Ami apologized.

Amara was a welcome guide to the carnival. Rufus noticed that Sephiroth was both fascinated with and befuddled by her. It seemed none of the women in the lab had ever taken to the boy, so his life had been devoid of female influence. Rufus also remembered that Sephiroth had said he had always wanted to have a mother and wondered whether his mother, Jenova, would have loved him.

_‘ … the plague of Jenova … ’_

Rufus sobered. Why had his elder self called Sephiroth’s mother that? Was Jenova the inhuman being that had muddled Sephiroth’s genetics? If she was not human, what _was_ she?

 _No, I’ll … I’ll enjoy this summer, like Old Rufus Shinra told me to,_ Rufus decided. _I don’t want to know yet. Today, I … I’m happy. I haven’t let myself feel happiness like this since I was a toddler. Will this mar my ‘perfect’ life? I don’t even care anymore._

They spent hours playing games, and the boys went on several rides. Sephiroth denounced the rides as ‘boring’ and was personally offended at being too short for the largest roller-coaster. Once he figured out the way a game was rigged, Sephiroth managed to beat all of them, to the staff’s chagrin. Amara had a large bag full of plush dolls by the time they gathered for a late lunch. They got plates of fried food and sat down at picnic tables set out near the airfield. Sephiroth positioned himself to watch the planes and helicopters come and go.

“What are those giant things all the way in the back?” he asked. “They’re not flying.”

“Those are airships under construction. Would you like to go see them?”

“Yes. This place is getting even more crowded and noisy.”

“Haven’t you had fun?” Amara asked. “You’ve won all these toys.”

“You can keep them.”

“Aw, are you sure?” Amara laughed. “Here, there must be something you’d like to keep?”

“No.”

“Here.”

Amara unhooked something from a larger plush doll and held it out to Sephiroth. He took it gingerly and held it by its strap. The plush keychain was a white cat in a black imitation leather coat, rakish black hat slanted over its head. Funnily enough, the cat had green beads for eyes.

“I don’t have any keys,” Sephiroth said, although he pocketed it.

“You can hang it on the wall or somewhere, I’m sure,” Amara said cheerfully. “You should keep something. It’s been a nice day, hasn’t it? Haven’t you enjoyed the carnival?”

“It’s all right,” Sephiroth said diffidently. “I … don’t know why people do stuff like this. But I like being out with—”

Sephiroth’s eyes met Rufus’s but he quickly looked away. His cheeks were the slightest shade of rose. _He was taught to be ashamed of his feelings, just like I was,_ Rufus thought. _I always thought that was the right thing to do. My older self, he said it just wastes time. He would know, wouldn’t he? He’s me, after all, the ‘me’ after a ruined, wasted life in a wasted world. This is what he wanted. So this is what_ ** _ **I**_** _want? Or what I will want? In the future? It’s such a mess!_

Amara smoothed down Sephiroth’s hair. He bristled but made no complaint. He had been skeptical of the fried food but was eating it with his fast, graceful manner now. The boy favored meat and fish, leaving anything sweet or overly salty to one side.

_But do I want this now? Never mind my future self. Do_ **_**I** _ ** _want this_ **_**now** _ ** _?_

“Ah, your hair is heavy,” Amara was saying. “You don’t wash it with soap, do you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, that won’t do. It’s so beautiful, like spun silk. Rufus—”

“It’ll be taken care of.”

“It doesn’t _matter,_ ” Sephiroth said peevishly.

“But you’re the one that said you won’t cut it,” Rufus reminded him.

“ … Mmph.”

Sephiroth was warming to Amara quickly. He let her smooth his hair off his face, though he did snatch away the napkin when she tried to wipe grease from his mouth. Amara was in her element, finally having a child to fuss over.

 _Aren’t we the happy little family?_ Rufus mused. _None of us share the slightest similarity physically but if anyone saw us right now, they might think we’re siblings. Do I want this? Regardless of the potentialities of the future or whatever my old self said, do_ ** _ **I**_** _want this?_

_Yes._

_Yes._

_I actually … do._

_I want this more than anything._

Sephiroth’s energy did not lag despite being out for so many hours on a hot summer day. They drove out to the airfield as promised and visited the airship construction lot. Sephiroth approved of the vessels. He asked many questions and absorbed the answers he got. Rufus made certain that none of the workers talked down to the boy. Hojo had been right when he said Sephiroth was as brilliant as he was strong.

Rufus knew that he had much to think about and plan. The dwindling daylight was a constant reminder of the future he would soon have to face. He was determined to enjoy as many hours as he could of this carefree day. Using his status as the President’s son and some extra gil, he managed to get a pilot to give them an aerial tour of Midgar. He, Amara, and Sephiroth piled into the back of a helicopter, leaving the side doors open. They strapped themselves in and ascended into the sky.

For once, Sephiroth was as excited as any kid. He gasped softly and leaned so far over that Rufus had to hold him back. The wind whipped his hair against his face but he seemed never to notice it, even when it got into his eyes. He sat at the very edge of the helicopter’s cargo area floor, straining against the straps, bright eyes taking in the view of the city. Amara was barely hiding her fear of heights, gripping onto the handholds with shaking hands. Rufus put his arms around Sephiroth and prayed the boy wouldn’t break the restraints and launch them both out of the chopper.

“Wow,” Sephiroth breathed. “I’ve never … flown before.”

Rufus pointed out various landmarks. He had to occasionally push the kid’s hair out of his own face to see, eventually bunching it into a rope and holding it lightly in place. Sephiroth did not notice. When he was absorbed in something, he gave it his full attention.

“It’s so small from up here,” Sephiroth said. “Like a toy city. How high up can we go?”

“We’re almost at the limit,” Rufus said. “You really like this, don’t you?”

“It’s … ” Sephiroth paused, searching for the right word. “ … powerful.”

Rufus smiled but felt a chill run up his spine. The True Time Materia on his chest was very present suddenly, almost cold. A wave of deja vu swept over him. At the same time, Sephiroth felt warm for once. Rufus released the boy’s hair and pressed his hand to his forehead. Compared to his usual temperature, he was almost feverish. His green eyes were practically glowing as he looked down at the city, but there was a distance in them Rufus did not like.

“I feel like … I’ve been up this high before,” the boy said. “But this city wasn’t there.”

“You must have had a dream,” Rufus said. He moved back a little and murmured to Amara, “Tell the pilot to bring us down.”

Amara nodded and pressed the radio button on her helmet. The pilot gently descended. Sephiroth did not complain. He did not say anything. His eyes were wide and unreadable. His temperature continued to rise. Rufus unbuckled himself and the boy in a hurry once they were on the ground. He helped Sephiroth down while Amara wobbled to the pavement.

“Sephiroth? Sephiroth!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, he’s burning up.”

“I’m fine,” Sephiroth said. “I—”

Sephiroth tried to walk but collapsed. Rufus caught him before he hit the ground. The boy was hot and limp in his arms, all his normal strength dashed away. But by what? Rufus picked him up. He was heavier than expected but manageable.

“Get the car,” Rufus told his caregiver. “We’d better take him to Hojo.”

“Yes sir.”

Rufus looked down at the boy. He was breathing hard and frowning deeply. Beneath his eyelids, Rufus saw his eyes moving rapidly in some dream or nightmare. Rufus’s deja vu grew stronger and the True Time Materia was frigid.

_‘He’s not fully human’_

_‘The plague of Jenova’_

_‘Meteorfall’_

_‘The Calamity from the Sky’_

Rufus might have collapsed himself if he did not have Sephiroth to protect. He held the boy tightly in his arms, trying to steady himself. The heat shimmer above the pavement blurred and strengthened. He thought that in the distance, he could see floating black figures. They were watching, and he could just barely discern them whispering.

 _Whispers!_ Rufus realized as his blood went cold. He clung to Sephiroth for warmth. _The elder me, he said that the True Time Materia would protect me. Those things … they’re powerless. I can’t panic. I won’t panic. My old self may not have wanted me to be ‘perfect’, but I know he wouldn’t want me to be a coward._

Rufus shifted Sephiroth in his arms to hold him more securely. Cautiously, he fed the True Time Materia energy, bit by bit. Surely enough, the Whispers began to fade. Rufus fed the Materia until they had dissipated completely. He had hoped their departure would cure Sephiroth but something else was plaguing the boy. All he could do was get in the car and wait until they returned to the Shinra Building.


	7. Chapter 7

Back at Shinra, Rufus carried Sephiroth inside with Amara on his heels. In the executive elevator, she knew enough to use Rufus’s keycard for him and press button ‘66’. She had already called the Scientific R&D department to alert Hojo.

The Professor was waiting anxiously for them just outside the elevator with a gurney. He snatched Sephiroth from Rufus’s arms frantically. He lay the boy down on the gurney with uncharacteristic care.

“We went for a helicopter ride,” Rufus said. “He suddenly fainted and he’s feverish. There was no reason for this to happ—”

“You fool!” Hojo sneered. “This—I told you! He isn’t a pet! He isn’t even a child! He’s—He’s—”

Hojo had no patience for the lacing on Sephiroth’s vest. He cut it open and pressed a stethoscope to the boy’s chest. He calmed slightly upon hearing the steady heartbeat. He took Sephiroth’s pulse and pressed a hand to his forehead.

“Genetic memory,” he muttered. “Happened before. Night terrors. Thought he had outgrown them. Give me that damned sedative! Stupid, stupid. You don’t know him the way I do. You fool! Fool!”

Hojo injected Sephiroth with something. The boy stirred and then went still. His breathing slowed. Hojo sighed in relief. He removed his glasses and squeezed the bridge of his nose.

“Leave.”

“Is he—”

“He’ll be fine!” Hojo snapped. “Just go! You’ve done enough. Go!”

“I—”

“I don’t care who you are, get out of here, you meddling brat!”

Rufus’s eyes widened. Before he had the chance to protest, Hojo wheeled the gurney down the hall. Rufus gave it up. Hojo would not listen to him in that state and he had done enough for one day.

“Damn it,” Rufus sighed. “When my father hears about this … I can’t do this.”

Rufus returned to the elevator, followed by Amara. He said nothing until they had left the building. In the car, he demanded she drive him home. He was silent until they reached his own room in the Shinra Tower’s penthouse suite.

“My father will revoke my access to the labs for this,” Rufus fretted, pacing. “Sephiroth won’t know why I’m gone, he’ll think I abandoned him the way that Professor Gast did. They won’t let me see him again.”

“Isn’t there anything that you can do? Maybe if I—”

“You?” Rufus scoffed. He shook his head, softening his tone. “I’m sorry, but my father would be less inclined to listen to you than he would be to listen to me. Besides, I don’t even know what I’m dealing with.”

“What do you mean?”

_‘His legacy is one only of terror.’_

“Sephiroth is special,” Rufus said carefully. “But I don’t know anything about him. I don’t know what they’ve _done_ to him. I don’t even know exactly what he is. Before I do anything else, I have to know the truth about him.”

“We couldn’t find anything in the Archives,” Amara reminded him. “Does it really matter so much? He’s a child, just a little boy. Isn’t that all that matters?”

“The only thing that matters to me is that I love him.”

Amara’s dark eyes widened. Rufus turned away, face warm.

“Yes, I love him.”

 _‘I never loved anyone else_ but _him.’_

“Whatever he is, he’s precious,” Rufus said. “And he is … precious to me. I want to protect him. I want to see him smile again, without being ashamed or embarrassed of it. I know that I’m young, too. I don’t have any real power yet. But I want to … I want to at least try. He’s my friend.”

“Rufus … ”

“But I need to know more about what he is, who he is,” Rufus said briskly. “I have some leads. I’ll have to leave here for a little while to follow them up. Amara.”

“Yes sir?”

“You still have my keycard? Good. It should be active at least for another day,” Rufus said. “I need you to see Sephiroth for me. No one will question your access yet. I need you to explain to him that my father has forbidden me from seeing him, because I know that he will. Tell him that I’ll be with him again soon. And, if you can, please, look out for him.”

“But where are you going?”

“I can’t explain it all now,” Rufus said. “I have to hurry, before all of my power is revoked. Please, Amara. I could have kept those photos and forced you to do whatever I say. I didn’t. At least, do me this one favor. After that, you can do anything you want. You can leave this thankless job, anything. Please.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you.”

Rufus took out a suitcase and threw it on the bed. He began packing clothing and necessities. He took the notebook out from beneath his mattress and tucked it into a compartment beneath his clothes.

“Tell Sephiroth that I won’t ever abandon him,” he said as he packed. “He knows how it feels to be locked away by adults when you’re inconvenient to them. He should understand. If he doesn’t, then tell him to forgive me. I never meant to hurt him.”

“I will.”

“As for my father, he will come down hard on you,” Rufus said. “But he knows that in the end, you wouldn’t be able to stop me if I didn’t want you to. You won’t lose your job. Tell him whatever you need to: that I’m troubled, whatever. If you can, try to make him understand that Sephiroth is important to me and to the company, and that Hojo is misusing him. No outright accusations, of course. I don’t know how much my father knows about Sephiroth but he is obviously all right with Hojo’s methods. Still. Sephiroth is a valuable asset and I want my father to think that Hojo is wasting money by mistreating him.”

“He _is_ mistreating him.”

“It’s a matter of opinion, don’t forget that,” Rufus said. “Shinra operates on different levels of morality than most people are accustomed to. Don’t come out too strong or you will be fired. If you feel too strongly about something, it’s better to say nothing about it at all.”

“I understand.”

“Don’t try to go after Hojo directly,” Rufus said. “I don’t know what happened to Professor Gast but he’s not the first person that has ever crossed Hojo and died mysteriously. Be very careful of him, especially when dealing with Sephiroth. That man has a weird fixation with Sephiroth.”

Amara’s mouth twisted in distaste. Rufus zippered his suitcase shut. He took out his phone.

“I need to go, now,” he said. “No, I’ll get a taxi. It’s best if we’re not seen together when I leave. Thank you.”

“You be careful, too, Rufus,” Amara said. “I know that you want to take care of Sephiroth, but you’re only thirteen. You’re just a child yourself.”

“I’m old enough.”

_And I know enough for generations, thanks to this True Time Materia._

Rufus nodded at Amara and she nodded back. He shouldered his bag and left. Fortunately, no servants were around to witness his departure.

Amara sank into Rufus’s desk chair, covering her face with both hands. She was warm and sweaty. Her thick black hair was falling out of its claw. She felt oddly guilty. She was supposed to be the adult, the authority. Even without the threat of blackmail looming over her, she had acted like one of the kids. How could she have lost sight of her duty so easily?

_I was caught up in Rufus’s enthusiasm. He’s changed so much in the past two days. Has it only been two days? I thought that his mother’s death would have shut him down, but instead it’s opened him up. Was it that? Or was it meeting that boy, Sephiroth? Either way, I finally can see that Rufus is human. I was starting to think the worst of him. Shinra … Shinra poisons everything it touches. I know that by now. My grandfather refuses to accept that Shinra poisoned him but I know. I know._

_At first, I thought that I would just use the Shinra family to earn a living. Why not? They owe my grandfather, after all. They owe my family what they will never pay financially. I was cynical and so young. But … watching that woman suffer, disallowed to love her boy fully even when illness brought her to her knees … Watching President Shinra gloat about affairs, having to fend him off and being told I wasn’t pretty enough for him anyway … I hear he’s knocked up some mistress recently, come to that. In the midst of it all, there was Rufus, doing his best to maintain his dignity for his mother’s sake and preserve his legacy for his father’s. If he was a naive child, he might have had an easier time, but he’s not. He knew the ugliness and knew the pain. He knew that he had no choice but to accept it. It was warping him, making him into something so twisted …_

_I don’t know what’s happened. He’s still a little arrogant and cold. He speaks the way a grown man would. But he’s human. He loves that boy Sephiroth. I think he sees himself in him and wants to preserve that tiny piece of childhood Sephiroth still has a chance at. He’s projecting. But that’s not all it is. Psychology isn’t all there is. He genuinely loves him, I can see it. He loves him in the way everyone loves their first real friend. Rufus never had a friend before. In that way, he’s as innocent as Sephiroth._

_Am_ I _being naive? Probably. I didn’t come to this family to make a difference, but now I want to. I want to, damn it! I couldn’t make a difference for my little brother. I want to make a difference_ ** _ **now**_** _! I won’t be caught this off-guard again. I will do my best, for both of those boys._

****~ Fin ~** **


End file.
